ALLEGATIONS DENIED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 78, 12 January 1949, Page 3

ALLEGATIONS DENIED

Communique By Air Ministry “TO FIRE IN SELF-DEFENCE ONLY” (N.Z.P. A.—Copyright) (Rec. 11.40 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 11 An Air Ministry communique re* jects the Jewish allegations that the R.A.F. aircraft shot down by Israeli fighters on Friday had orders to go over Palestine territory. On the contrary they had strict orders not to cross the frontier. No question arose, in these circumstances, of informing the Jewish authorities beforehand, particularly as the Jews announced that all their forces had left Egypt.

a “The pilots were also forbidden to make a hostile approach to, or open fire on, any other aircraft unless our aircraft were being attacked. They were free to fire in self-defence if attacked. The object of the flights was confined to reporting the existence and nature of any Jewish forces on Egyptian territory and searching for missing aircraft inside Egyptian territory. “Interrogation of the leaders of the R.A.F. formations confirmed that these instructions were strictly complied with. No R.A.F. aircraft opened fire or crossed the frontier before it was attacked, nor was any ground target attacked. The capture of the British pilots and aircraft by the Jews does not establish that our aircraft had crossed the frontier, since some Jewish forces were at least 10 miles inside Egypt at the time. “It is possible that during the melee after the attack one or two R.A.F. aircraft may have been forced across the border. The allegation that a Tempest was briefed to make photographic reconnaissance is refused by the fact that no Tempests carried cameras and no pilot carried instructions to take part in a photographic reconnaissance.”

THE BRITISH VIEWPOINT SECURITY COUNCIL LOSING CONTROL (Rec. 11.35 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 11. One of the great dangers of the situation was that the Security Council had been losing control over events, said the British Foreign Office spokesman in an official comment on the situation in Palestine. “Recent events constitute a grave threat to stability and peace of the whole Middle East. His Majesty’s Government takes an extremely serious view of the dangers of the situation and feels that a supreme effort must be made to achieve peace and the settlement in accordance with the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions. The Government is fully reserving its position and future action, but in the meantime is exerting great restraint and avoiding any action which might jeopardise hope for successful negotiations at Rhodes under the auspices of the actingmediator.

The acting-mediator’s report leaves no room for doubt that the present crisis is the outcome of, Jewish aggression. Since the beginning of October the Jews have launched three military operations in violation of the trucein Negev, beginning on October 15, in Northern Galilee beginning later in October, and in the Negev again, beginning on December 22. The Jews have so far failed to comply with the Security Council’s resolutions of November 4 and December 9, which the Arabs accepted. The Jews have made incursions into Egyptian territory and are still occupying Lebanese territory and the possibility cannot be excluded of further Jewish attacks in violation of the truce in Jerusalem or elsewhere against the forces of Transjordan or Iraq.”