PALESTINE ARABS BARRED FROM RETURN BY THE JEWS

Grey River Argus, 7 August 1948, Page 5

PALESTINE ARABS BARRED FROM RETURN BY THE JEWS

Israel Proposal for Peace Talk (Rec. 10.20). NEW YORK, Aug. 5. Count Bernadotte, U.N.O. mediator, has notified the U.N.O. Security Council that the Israel Provincial Government has refused to accept his proposal to allow the Arab refugees to return to their homes in Palestine. Asking the Council for action. Count Bernadotte said: “The right of these refugees to return to their homes at the earliest practicable date should be affirmed”. He added that he was drawing up a programme for appropriate agencies to help the Arabs. LONDON, August 5. It is officially announced at Tel Aviv that the Israeli Government has invited the Arab Governments to peace negotiations in Palest:ne. M. Moshe Shei tok, Israeli Foreign Minister, issued the invitation through Count Bernadotte, following a three-hour talk to-day wi. i a request that it be transmitted to the “belligerent Powers.” After the meeting, M. Moshe Shertok and Count Bernadotte left Tel Aviv for Haifa, from where Coun Bernadotte returns to Rhodes. He will return to Jerusalem on August 9. There are no proposals yet for the demilitarisation of Jerusalem, but Count Bernadotte is trying to evolve a plan from his present Inks with the Jewish and Arab authorities.

Following numerous incidents, Count Bernadotte has officially v/arned the Arabs and Jews that unilateral breaches of the truce did not relieve the other side of me obligation to refrain from military action. An official Jewish source said today that the Jewish positions north of the Arab-occupied quarter. o r old Jerusalem came under mortar and automatic weapon fire last night. The Jews returned the fire. It is believed that five Arabs were, hit There were no Jewish casualties.