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U.S. and France Back Soviet on Ordering Palestine Cease-fire; Lebanon Asks Conciliation

May 30, 1948
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The United States and France today rallied behind a Soviet proposal for ordering an end to the Palestine war — backed by U.N. sanctions if necessary. The Security Council also heard an impassioned plea by Charles Malik of Lebanon for conciliation rather than coercion as the only possible foundation for lasting peace in the Middle East. Malik’s declaration was the first conciliatory note yet heard from an Arab delegate at the Security Council.

The line-up within the Council was identical with that of last Saturday when a U.S. resolution similar in all essential points to the present Soviet proposal, was defeated. Thus far the strongly-worded resolution has mustered only five votes — two less than the requisite majority.

China and Canada today supported the resolution introduced yesterday by Sir Alexander Cadogan of Britain. The British proposal was condemned by Maj. Aubrey Eban, the Israeli representative, as “unilateral and biased” against the Jews.

Canada served notice, however, that two important changes would have to be made before it voted for the British draft. A Canadian spokesman said the delegation will insist that the ban on Jewish immigration be removed and that the embargo on arms importation into Palestine be extended to cover all the Arab states. U.S. sources intimated that if the Russian plan is defeated, America will vote for the British text, amended along the lines suggested by Canada.

Sen. Warren Austin rejected Arab excuses that they entered Palestine to suppress a Zionist rebellion and maintain peace. “It’s a funny way of maintaining peace,” he declared, “and it is certainly odd that five regular armies must be used to overwhelm ‘terrorist bands’ in that little place about the size of my native state.” (Vermont.) He warned the Arabs that they would not be able “to blot out the state of Israel ## Called upon the Council to approve the Soviet resolution.

C POSSIBLE ONLY WHEN BATTLES CEASE, EBAN SAYS

In pressing for co{SPAN}##tiazion, Malik asserted that the Jews would eventually be forced to seek terms of ### with the Arab world. Understanding and friendship with Israel’s neighbors, was word important, he said, than friendship anywhere else in the world. He warned the Council ### sating in a punitive spirit” or accepting a fait accompli. Only conciliation Mal## added, can stop the bloodshed. He also voiced a thinly-veiled threat that ## the United States favors the Jews against the Arabs, America’s “good friends,” may ## to ### ## for sympathy and assistance.{/SPAN}Eban said the Jews of Israel d{SPAN}##{/SPAN}{SPAN}###{/SPAN}{SPAN}###{/SPAN} with their Arab neighbors but maintained that “the noise of battle {SPAN}###{/SPAN} quiet {SPAN}##{/SPAN} before other {SPAN}##{/SPAN} can

Alexandre Parodi of France, after citing fr## reports from the ###ce Commission that the Holy Places are threatened with total construction introduced a third resolution which would order a case-fire is J##### to be ## affective at 1:00 P.M. tomorrow. If the cease-fire would be reported, ##### the Council would have no choice but to take forceful ## under the ## of the U.N. Charter.

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