U.K. Joins Vote To Condemn Israel

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32302, 21 May 1970, Page 11

U.K. Joins Vote To Condemn Israel

(N.Z.P A -Reuter —Copyright)

NEW YORK, May 20.

T he Security Council last night condemned Israel for its military action against Lebanon last week, and said that a repetition would require the consideration of “effective measures’’ against Israel.

The vote split thel’ United States from the!' three othe. Great , Powers and raised! doubts about the future ] of the search for a' Middle East peace formula. The sharp division between the Big Four became evident when the council, by II votes to nil with four abstentions, condemned the 32-hour long strike against Arab guerrilla bases in Lebanon, and warned Israel of more serious consequences if there was a repetition. Britain, France, and Russia voted for the resolution, but the United States, with Sierra Leone. Colombia and Nicaragua, abstained. The Israeli reaction was! swift and predictable. The Ambassador (Mr Yosef] Tekoah) immediately de-! nounced it as one-sided ; Delegates, however, were [more intrigued with assessing the significance, if any, in the ; widely differing stands taken by the Big Four, both in the i vote and during the week- ; long debate. They wondered whether there might be any effect on! the four-Power talks that] have been going on for more than a year in an attempt to find an acceptable basis for] an Arab-Israeli peace settle[ment. The next session of the] ,talks is set down for Tues-! i day.

Some diplomats were not prepared to forecast any radical change in the situation.

Some Accord The talks have made slow

! progress, mainly because of [disagreement between the U.S. and Russia on the! totality of Israeli withdrawal.; ibut the British Ambassador: (Lord Caradon) and the French delegate (Mr Kosci-usko-Orizet) both said in the: council debate that there were elements on which the [Four were in accord. ] But the U.S. Ambassador: [(Mr Charles Yost) described the resolution as unbalanced because it failed to take account of Arab guerrialla raids before the Israeli attack. He accused Russia of showing a total lack of objectivity and impartiality in its approach to the Middle East problem. The Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister (Mr Jacob Malik) said the United States was actively defending and re-i [warding Israeli actions. “If the United States wants peace, they should see that [lsrael withdraws from all, occupied Arab territories.” he] said. "This is the keystone to Middle East peace, and the sooner the United States: realises this then the better.'. Once this has been recognised the Big Four powers will quickly come to a settle-

ment of all outstanding issues." Britain agreed to vote for the resolution—sponsored by Zambia with Arab support—[ only after Lord Caradon persuaded the drafters to accept some minor changes U.S. Arms Aid Meanwhile United States State Department officials have confirmed that the United States is supplying bombs to Israel as part of a continuing United States military assistance programme. The officials rejected suggestions that the Pentagon was handling deliveries on a secret basis, and that the State Department had been kept in the dark about the bomb shipments. Russian soldiers would fire the S.A.M.-3 ground-to-air missiles at Israeli Phantom jets crossing the Suez Canal when the sites the Soviet Union is installing in Egypt are ready for action. East European diplomatic sources, quoted by’ United Press International, said last night. And, if Egyptian pilots specially trained to fly advanced MIG2I jets prove! inadequate, Russian pilots

will take over and fly them in combat against Israeli planes behind the Suez line, the sources said. Israeli Raid Israei jets bombed civilian targets in the southern sector of the Suez Canal yesterday, killing and wounding “several civilians," an Egyptian military communique said. The communique did not pinpoint the location, nor did it say how many civilians were killed or wounded Israel yesterday reported routing an Egyptian commando force trying to attack its positions on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal, killing at least seven raiders but suffering no casualties itself. Israeli planes, tanks and artillery bombarded the Egyptians as they retreated back across the waterway, scoring direct hits on Egyptian positions on the western bank and causing an undetermined number of additional casualties, an Israeli military spokesman said. He dismissed as “pure fantasy" Egyptian claims that two Israeli tanks and two [half-tracks were destroyed, and all their occupants killed.