Only Way To Save Palestine Situation

Chronicle (Levin), 14 July 1948, Page 5

Only Way To Save Palestine Situation

(R.Z.P.A.-

-RevXert.

Gamiriaht )

•• Received Tuesday, 7 p.m. NEW YORK, July 12. Count Bernadotte, in a report presented tonight, invited the Security Council to order an immediate halt to the Palestine war and to offer the threat of United Nations' punishment to the side which refused to obey. Count Bernadotte emphasised that unless the Council acted quickly to renew the truce, there would be nothing left for the Arabs and Jews to do except settle the dispute on the battlefield. Count Bernadotte listed as the tnain points at issue between the •two communities as Firstly partition according to the General Assembly's plan; secondly, the existence of a sovereign Jewish State ; thirdly, Jewish immigration to Palestine;. fourthly," the I'uture status of Jerusalem which both sides claim. Count Bernadotte sai.d the de facto situation in Palestine today was that a Jewish Provisional Government, recognised by an increasing number of States, existed and was exercising all the attributes of full sovereignty. The Arai) States were fighting to eliminate this de facto situation. Prompt and effective action by the Security Council now could well be the decisive faetor in solying the problem. Count Bernadotte made no definite recommendations but pointed out that ending the use of lorce in Palestine would make1 possible an eventual peaceful settlement ■ "Jt* armed force is forbidden in the settlement of the problem and it is made prohibitively unprofitable for the Arab States to employ it, there will be in Palestine a Jewish community with a separate cultural and political existence— a Jewish State whdse ■'strength, prosper.ity and capa.city ..for economic and social develop'rnent must 1-argely depend on its ability to cultivate 'friendly relati.ons with its Arab neighbours, " he said. "If the employment of armed fore.o is..not forbidden, Ihe issue of the Jewish State will besettled on the field of battle." The Security Council nieets tomorrow to con-sider the report and hear further from Count Bernadotte; Britain and the United States are reliably* reported to ^ave agreed that fighting in Palestine must cease and any nation not attempting a further truce must bear the conse(|iiences, says Reuler's Lake Success correspondent. "Behind the scenes talks among tlie various Security Council delegations revealed a large measure of agreement that it is time for the Council to take ste.rner measures than merely calling for a cease fire, " he reports.