NO FINALITY IN PALESTINE

Grey River Argus, 4 June 1948, Page 5

NO FINALITY IN PALESTINE

U.N.O. NOT YET SURE WHEN CEASE-FIRE WILL COMMENCE (Rec. 11.5) LONDON, June 3. Arabs and Jews have formally accepted the proposed four weeks’ cease-fire in principle. But The Times correspondent at Arab capital, Amman, says: u There are formidable difficulties to be overcome before peace in Palestine is even temporarily restored in fact.” It is now, he points out, the U.N.O. mediator, Count Bernadotte’s task, after consultation with leaders of both sides, to fix the exact time at which hostilities shall cease, and he will first have to reconcile differences between the two sides on the meaning of truce terms. Every hour’s delay will make it more difficult to stop the fighting.

The Arab suspicions have already been aroused by Jewish attacks which were on Wednesday made upon the Old City of Jerusalem, and the Arab Commander in Jerusalem says that he now feels at liberty to adhere to his plans, and these include the shelling of the Jewish Agency building.

Effective machinery for applying a cease-fire and for controlling extremists on both sides is, therefore, urgently needed.

A powerful influence in the Arab decision to accept a truce plan, The Times correspondent adds, was undoubtedly the wideness of Count Bernadotte’s terms of reference. The Arabs hope, of course, to persuade him to accept their view that Palestine must not be split. But the decision is also as significant as the gesture of Arab faith in U.N.O.

Has Cease-fire Order Yet Been Accepted ?

LONDON, June 2. The Government of Israel announced it had sent the cease-fire order to all its fighting forces to become effective at 11 p.m. on Tuesday last. In Palestine, the chief-of-staff of the Iraqi Army, Safwar Pasha, said the A.rab cease-fire had been effective since midnight on the northern fronts on Monday. The order had caused a large-scale Syrian advance to be cancelled.

U.N.O. Not Yet Sure When Cease-fire Will Commence

' Mediator Asked to Arrange in Three Days

.(Rec. 9.40). NEW YORK, June 2. The U.NO. Security Council to-day instructed its Palestine mediator, Count Folke Bernadotte, of Sweden, to set a day and a hour for a ceasefire in the Holy Land. The Council suggested that a four weeks’ armistice should be t gin within three days. No formal vote was taken. Seven nations, including the United States, approved the instruction. Russia did not debate the question. M. Gromyko (Soviet), said, however, he would abstain from voting on the question of sending the instruction to Count Bernadotte.

Count Bendadotte was asked to set an exact hour in consultation with the Jews and Arabs, both of whom had accepted the amistice proposal. The Council ruled that their replies were both unconditional. Faris El Khoury, the Syrian delegate, is serving as the Security Council President for the month of June. He has called ahother meeting of the Council for to-morrow to study ; the problem of controls to be used during the amstice. A DEADLOCK STILL Earlier in the Security Council’s meeting, the Jewish and Arab viewpoints clashed on the political issue before it. Aubrey Eban (Jewish representative at the Council) said: “We enter into a truce with a belief that our political and territorial integrity is an immutable fact,” Jamal Husseini, for the Arab Higher Committee, immediately replied: “It is my duty to say that the Arabs in Palestine cannot enter into any political discussion on the basis of a Jewish State in Palestine." Sir A. Cadogan, in reply to a question by Mr Eban (Israel), said the British Government entirely agreed that the arms ban should apply to any stocks held by foreign Governments inside of any of the Middle-East countries concerned. He said Count Bernadotte had cabled to UNO, asking it to authorise him to fix a cease-fire deadline after consulations with Arabs . and Jews. He said it. might be “some days” before any cease-fire controls could be effected. SETTLEMENT NOT INDICATED The United Press correspondent at Lake Success says: “United Nations observers see only a slight chance that Jewish and Arab differences will be solved during an unstable and temporary. halt in the fighting. But the UNO Security Council decided to grab at a chance to halt war in tne Holy Land, even if it be only temporarily. JEWS EAGER FOR TRUCE

A British spokesman, commenting on Israeli charges that Arabs had violated the UNO Council’s cease-tirc-appeal, said that the UNO Security Council had never fixed an hourjor the laying down of arms, but iiad provided only that both sides should accept an armistice proposal by 11 p.m., G.M.T., on Tuesday last. An Israeli internretationi whereunder orders were issued to Jewish troops to stop firing at that hour—a+ three o’clock Israeli time on Wednesday morning—was a misunderstanding of the terms

INTERNATIONAL. GUARD FOR HOLY PLACES

In Rome, Father Zanelli, delegate of the Holy Land in Rome, said the Vatican is studying plans for the formation of a volunteer international Christian militia to guard the holy places in Palestine.

Mr Bevin’s Doubts

LONDON, June 2. In London, the Foreign Secretary, Mr Bevin, told the House of Commons that there were indications of qualifications in the Arab and Jew acceptance of the cease-lire order. He had not received the details, but hoped there would be no detailed conditions preventing the cease-fire from operating and discussions are proceeding. “We are convinced that among both Arabs and Jews there is a large majority of moderate, peaceful men and women who would welcome the prospect of a lasting and just peace,” he added. Replying to a question whether in view of the action of King Abdullah in attacking Palestine, he (Mr Eevin) would end Britain's annual contribution of £2,000,000. Mr Bevin said he understood that King Abdullah had not invaded anywhere. Her fellow Arabs had invited Transjordan to enter the territory allocated by the United Nations to the Arabs.

Arab Attitude is Stated

LONDON, June 2. An Associated Press Cairo correspondent says the Arab reply to U.N. O. did not make clear whether Arab acceptance of the armistice is conditional on the Security Council’s agreeing to U.N.O. points made in the reply. A prolonged debate, during which the fighting will go on, appeared likely. On Wednesday the U.N.O. Supreme Council at Lake Success considered the replies of the Arab States and Israel to the council’s cease-fire order. Copies of the Arabs’ reply have been circulated to the Security Council delegates, but so far no comment has been made.

The Arab States’ reply is published at Cairo. It said the Arabs would continue fighting until the final cease-fire terms were accepted. _ The cease-fire would be an uneasy interval, leading to further violenc’e, unless there were guarantees. The Arab Governments reaffirmed their desire for peace and to Jive amicably beside the Jews in Palestine. It would be against the purpose of the cease-firi& order to permit a flood of Jewish immigrants of a military age to enter Palestine. These immigrants were being brought into the country with the sole object of joining the Zionist terrorists. The Arab Governments considered the Security Council’s resolution did not give an adequate guarantee that Jews would respect conditions of the cease-fire. The Arabs, “as members of the regional organisation responsible for preserving order in their area,” desired to co-operate with the United Nations mediator, Count Berndadotte, and the Truce Commission, in supervising the execution of the cease-fire conditions, and they urged also the appointment of an impartial body to supervise the carrying out of the cease-fire conditions. Military circles in Cairo said the military 'initiative remained with the Arabs ' and thev hoped the Arab States’ cease-fire conditions would be accepted “so that peace might return to an Arab land in which Jewish minority rights will be respected.” NO JEWISH STATE!

King Abdullah of Transpordan said the Arab League's acceptance of the cease-fire in Palestine was the wisest decision in the league’s history, “but we will never accept a Jewish State. The Arabs accepted the truce because Count "Bernadotte is trying to solve the Palestine problem on a just basis.”

Jews Fail in Attempt to Re-enter Old Jerusalem

LONDON, June 2. On Wednesday fighting continued in Palestine. Transjordan marksmen early to-day punctured the Jewish dream of seizing a foothold in the Old City of Jerusalem before the observance of the cease-fire. Inside Old Jerusalem the Arabs beat off attacks on the Zion. Jaffa and New Gates, claiming at least 26 Jews killed. Arab Legion artillery shelled Jews who assembled at two points in the New City and killed 100. Sporadic artillery, mortar and automatic fire was heard in Jerusalem as Jews and Arabs awaited the word of the exact time the cease-fire was to come into force. The Arab Legion blew up the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Whether the blowing up of the university occurred before or after the Security . Council’s cease-fire deadline is not apparent. Jews had continued firing at the Arab Legion from the University, despite warnings by Arabs through the Red Cross. A Jewish triple-column assault on

the Old City was in progress when the legion commander received a message from his headquarters at 2 a.m. local time to be ready for the cease-fire, the deadline of which was to be communicated to him later. Jewish Army headquarters in Tel Aviv declared Arabs violated the cease-fire order five times, shelling Jerusalem throughout the night and attacking in North and South Palestine. 7 Reuter's correspondent in Amman (Transjordan capital), reports that within a few hours of both sides accepting the cease-fire proposal, Jewish light armoured vehicles attacked Transjordan territory and penetrated eight'miles beyond the border. They attacked the police station at Khores Safi at the southern end of the Dead Sea, killing eight of the garrison of 15 policemen. There are accusations by the Christian Union of Palestine that Jewish armed forces are violating churches and convents. A Jewish spokesman declared Jews had neither damaged nor occupied any Christian or Moslem holy places in Jerusalem since the war broke out.

JEWISH MIGRANTS

(Rec. 11.45). LONDON, June 3. A committee representing the twenty-four thousand Jewish illegal immigrants who are detained on Cyprus Island, have sent a protest, to the United Nations against a British decision to suspend the regular quota of releases of these Jews to go to Palestine during the four weeks of the truce.

COME TO N.Z. FROM MIDDLE EAST

AUCKLAND, June 3. A young Palestinian couple who are to settle in Wellington, arrived by the Skymaster from Sydney this morning. They are Mr and Mrs Martin Stern, who have been living in Cyprus. Mr Stern joined the British Army in Palestine in 1944. and was at Benghazi and Tobruk, serving later as a transport manager for N.A.A.F.I. in Cyprus. He is an engineer, and his wife is an accountant. They will join cousins in Wellington. Asked about the present struggle in Palestine, Mr Stern said nobody could see where it would end, even those most closely concerned, but the Jewish people, who had been persecuted in so many countries, would fight for the only national home that seemed possible for them. Five Indians from various parts of New Zealand, who have been to India for short visits, returned by the same plane. Most had been staying in Bombay and had travelled by sea to Singapore and by air to Sydney. Conditions were quite • settled around Bombay, and’ food was becoming quite plentiful, they said. Two of them, Mr P. D. Lala, of Frankton, and Mr R. Tribhovandas, of Pukekohe, were married in India, and brought their wives back with was Mrs S. Navan, who, with her young son, is to join her husband at Pukekohe.