The United Nations Palestine Conciliation Commission today acknowledged its complete failure to bring about a settlement between Israel and the Arab states. In a report submitted to the U.N. General Assembly the Commission says that it has been “unable to make substantial progress” in the tasks given to it by the Assembly. The Commission has been in existence for three years.
The report says that the members of the Commission find neither Israel nor the Arabs ready to come to an agreement. It charges both Israel and the Arab states of being equally guilty for the failure of the negotiations which were carried on this year in Paris and previously in Lausanne and in Geneva.
The Government of Israel, the report says, is not prepared to implement the resolution of the U.N. General Assembly of Dec. 11, 1948 which stated that Arab refugees wishing to return to their houses in Israel territory should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date. The Arab states, on the other hand, the report points out, are not prepared to implement the part of that resolution which calls for a final settlement on all questions outstanding between them and Israel.
The Commission emphasizes in its report that it took into account the fact that positive progress in the transition from war to peace in Palestine is impossible as long as the problem of the Palestine refugees remains unsolved. It concludes by stating that it considers that further efforts towards settling the Palestine question could yet usefully be based on the principles underlying the proposals it had submitted to the parties in September of this year in meetings held in Paris.
In these proposals, the Commission suggested that an agreement be reached concerning war damages arising out of the hostilities of 1948, such agreement to include mutual cancellation of such claims, by the Governments of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria and the Government of Israel; that Israel agree to the repatriation of a specified number of Arab refugees; that Israel accept the obligation to pay compensation for property abandoned by refugees not repatriated; that the governments concerned agree to the release of blocked bank accounts; and that the governments concerned agree to consider, under United Nations auspices, a revision or amendment of the existing armistice agreements between them.
The Commission’s five-point proposal was preceded by a preamble which called on the parties to undertake to settle all differences peacefully and without resort to force. The Commission’s report to the Assembly records its belief that if and when the parties to the dispute are ready to accept the principles underlying its proposals, agreement could be sought through direct negotiations with United Nations assistance or mediation.
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