Racing to meet tomorrow’s midnight deadline, been the British Mandate expires, the United nations scheduled late meetings of its committee for this evening in the hope of reaching a minimum agreement on the United States proposal for establishing a U.N. authority in Palestine as a whole.
The U.S. proposal to appoint a high commissioner who would mediate between Arabs and Jews me attached this morning by a spokesman for the Jewish Agency. It also came under fire at a closed sub-committee session from Poland, Norway, Guatemala and Russia.
The latest American plan calls for the appointment of a Palestine commissioner by a committee of the Big Fire. The Commissioner would he instructed to mediate between the local and community authorities in Palestine to arrange for public services heeded for the safety and well -being of the inhabitants of the country, protect the Holy Places, and promote agreement on the future government of Palestine. He would also a instructed to cooperate with the Consular Truce Commission and to work with U.N. agencies, Palestinianand other governmental and non-governmental “bodies towards effectuating a truce.
The commissioner would also he instructed, under this proposal, to render monthly reports to the Security Council and the U.N. Secretary-General.In addition the resolution would affirm support of the Security Council’s efforts to obtain a truce and would discharge the Palestine Commission from further exercise of responsibilities delegated to it under the partition decision of last November.
Alexander Panyushkin of Russia echoed the Agency’s objections to loading the proposed commissioner with such an assignment as trying to promote agreement between Arabs and Jews on the future government of Palestine.”In effect, he declared, this would instruct the commissioner to ignore the fact of partition.
The U.S. delegate Philip C. Jessup denied any intention to becloud the issue of partition.But after further objections on this point from Russia, Norway and France, Jessup asked for time to consider the proposed deletions and amendments.
On the other hand, Guillermo Belt, of Cuba, who has opposed partition, from the outset, said the Jewish State will have no legal basis when it is proclaimed because the Assembly’s resolution haft provided that it should not come into being until two months after the British evacuation is complete.
PARTITION TIME-TABLE OUTDISTANCED BY EVENTS IN PALESTINE, GRENADES SAYS
Jorge Garcia Granados of Guatemala stormed the sub-committee by calmly introducing a proposal of his own which would delete from the Assembly partition plan of last November all references to Security Council action, the time-table which has been outdistanced by events and the progressive transfer of authority from the Mandatory to Jewish and Arab Provisional Councils of Government.This, he added, would bring that decision up to date In conformity with the new facts. He called upon the General Assembly to take formal note that a Jewish Provisional Council was on the point of being established.
His plan received a chilly reception. Gent A.G.L. McNaughton of Canada said it as too late now for such ambitious schemes and urged the Assembly to confine itself to the natters of truce and mediation. Argentina agreed with Canada in urging support of the U.S. plan.
Granados was not deterred, however, and turned to the American draft proposing several significant changes in it language. The U. N., he said, should send a commission to Palestine, not a single commissioner. If it were to decide to send a single commissioner, that individual should be referred to as a delegate since the word missioner implied certain governmental powers which he did not possess.
The pro-partition group also objected to the use of the terms “local authorities and communities” rather than states or provisional councils of government.
JEWISH AGENCY OBJECTS TO AMERICAN PROPOSAL FOR U.N. COMMISSIONER
The Jewish Agency today issued a statement charging the United States with attempting to hamper the estab ishment of a Jewish state and to deny that state the equipment which it must have to defend itself against threatened aggression.
Emphasizing that “the Jewish state will cooperate with any United Nations agency which will come to Palestine to use its good offices for the purpose of mediation, or to carry out such functions as are voluntarily granted to it by the Jews and be Arabs,” the statement said that the latest American plan appears to be an attempt on nullify the original partition decision. It added that the U.S. proposal asks the Jewish people to give up their gains under that decision as well as denying them nights bequeathed by the partition resolution.
“The proposal fails to recognize the existence of the Jewish state for it refers to local community authorities. It ignores the recommendation of the last general Assembly when it authorizes the proposed commissioner to promote agreement in the future government of Palestine as if that question had not been decided last November, “the Agency statement insisted.
“Such a resolution creating new uncertainty about the political future of Palestine is likely to increase disorder and conflict over Palestine,” it continued. The Jewish state will pursue with every United Nations authority the task of achieving stabilization and peace in Palestine. But the newest proposal calls for a cessation of hostilities on condition of an indefinite deferent of Jewish independence on the eve of its attainment. Independence deferred is independence denied,” the statement stressed.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
