PALESTINE ISSUE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26904, 16 October 1948, Page 7

PALESTINE ISSUE

ISRAELI’S APPROACH

NEGOTIATIONS IN UN-

SURPRISE DEVELOPMENTS POSSIBLE N.Z.P.A.—Reuter.— Copyright. Rec. 11 p.m. PARIS, Oct. 15. Observers in Paris have noted signs of possible surprise developments in the coming battle over the Palestine issue as the United Nations Political Committee prepared to meet to-day to grapple with the problem. The committee will have before it as a basis document the last report of the late Count Bernadotte. There are indications that instead of attacking the report outright and fighting on each of its points separately, the Israeli representatives would launch what might be termed a flanking movement. The Israeli representative, Mr Aubrey Eban, gave evidence of this in a speech to the Security Council yesterday in which he made the following points: First, the Palestine truce is not durable, and must be replaced as soon as possible by a permanent peace; secondly, the United Nations should persuade the Jews and Arabs to sit down to a peace conference; and, thirdly, _ attempts should not be made to “ improvise territorial adjustments.” Several smaller countries who have now an axe to grind have been impressed by the argument that no truce can be maintained for long while the United Nations had not sufficient force to make its authority felt in Palestine. It is also argued that the continued presence of UNO observers and officials was a source of friction among some part of the population. Many countries represented on the committee would gladly vote for any project which would, in effect, take the whole troublesome question out of their hands and leave it to the natural economic and political forces which govern the relations of all States.

The Arab position is somewhat obscure. In the absence of representatives of the new governing authority recently set up in Gaza, which all Arab States so far have not recognised, the burden of Arab defence will fall on the five Arab States represented in the United Nations. Theytire determined, as before, to fight the partition plan to the last ditch.

Truce Violations

The Security Council yesterday began discussion of the violations of the Palestine truce, which ..the acting mediator, Dr Ralph Bunche, declared indicated an increasingly serious situation. Dr Bunche recommended stronger measures to ensure safety for truce observers, and better compliance from the Arabs and Jews in keeping the peace. He dealt at length with the events leading to Count Folke Bernadotte’s assassination, and said the Stern Gang had been opposed to the whole principle of mediation, and had conducted an open campaign against the mediator. Negligence on the part of the Jews, said Dr Bunche, had led to Count Bernadotte’s assassination. Sir Alexander Cadogan, on behalf of Britain and China, produced a resolution calling on the Israeli Government to submit to the Security Council at an early date an account of the progress made,into the investigations into Count Bernadotte’s assassination, and reminding the Israeli and Arab Governments of their obligations to ensure the free passage and safety of all United Nations representatives. The resolution also asked that Israeli indicate what measures had been taken with regard to negligence on the part of officials or other factors affecting the crime.