Partly United Nations

New Zealand Listener, Volume 19, Issue 484, 1 October 1948, Page 5

Partly United Nations

T will never be possible to isolate all the crazy motives behind the murder of Count Bernadotte; and nevér necessary. Everybody knows now that the murder was deliberate, organised, and if not exactly permitted, not made. impossible or even very difficult. The murderers themselves may in fact be the least unworthy participants in the whole disgraceful incident. If it is impossible to forgivé them it is possible to respect their boldness, competertce, and fanatical singleness of purpose. But it is not easy to respect the fumbling guardians of law and order-in Palestine or outside. It has always been known that the terrorists were there, that assassination was their weapon, and that they would use it as often as a good opportunity presented itself. If to expect their own people to exterminate them was too much, it should have béen safe to assume that the United Nations would take no risks with them, and make taking risks with the United Nations something that even lunatics would hesitate to do, But the United Nations have played into their hands inside Palestine and outside. They have argued when they should have acted, fought one another in committees. when they-should have sustained theirowh authority in the field. ‘They have. not been united nations, or nearly united nations. At the most they have been partly united, and it is not clear even now that they are going to act with unity and firmness. It may be true, as. Mrs. Roosevelt said the other day, that they are united, not to make peace, but to keep it; but that is not a very good cover for their conduct in Palestine. It is permissible to argue in Berlin or Tokio that the United Nations come in when the Allied Nations walk out; but if the same argument is used in Jerusalem, or about Jerusalem, the prestige of United Nations will suffer a blow from which recovery will be difficult. | :