Israel requested today an “early” meeting of the United Nations Security Council to consider two distinct complaints against Syria alleging “repeated acts of aggression” and charging that official spokesmen for the Syrian Government had threatened Israel “territorial integrity and political independence.”
The request was contained in a letter from Michael S. Comay, chairman of the Israel delegation, to the president of the Security Council. Israel’s call for a meeting came 24 hours after Syria made a similar request, alleging that Israel committed aggressions in last Saturday morning’s raid on Syrian fortifications overlooking Lake Tiberias, from which gunfire had been directed repeatedly at Israeli police and fishing boats on the lake since February 1.
Requesting the Security Council to call on the Syrian Government “to desist forthwith from all aggressive acts” against Israel, Mr. Comay’s letter contained a direct warning to Syria. The Israeli’s letter stated: “If, however, such aggressive acts continue, Israel, in exercise of its right of self-defense, will have to use all the means at its disposal to prevent the continuance of such actions and to protect the rights of its citizens to free and uninterrupted use of its territory, as well as the safety of its police on Lake Tiberias.”
Mr. Comay informed the head of the Security Council that, following the previous Syrian aggressive actions of which he complained in a letter Monday, Syria committed further aggressions yesterday. Neither Syria’s request for a Security Council meeting nor that of Israel was couched in “urgent” terms. It was believed that the Security Council will not meet until next Wednesday.
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.
