Ben Gurion Reports to Cabinet on Israel’s Security Situation

Premier David Ben Gurion, at the first meeting of his new Cabinet last night, reported fully on the Israel security situation. Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett reported on international developments affecting the security problem.

The Cabinet approved Mr. Sharett’s visit to the United States on behalf of the Israel bond drive. Mrs. Golda Myerson, Labor Minister, was designated Acting Foreign Minister. Before the Cabinet meeting, Mr. Sharett met with the Parliamentary Security and Foreign Affairs Committee.

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. E.L.M. Burns, chief of staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, who returned to Jerusalem from UN headquarters in New York yesterday and immediately went to inspect the Nitzana-El Auja area, is expected to confer with Mr. Sharett before the latter leaves for the United States. Gen. Burns still has not made known UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold’s proposals for an arrangement in the Nitzana-El Auja area to either Israel or Egypt.

A military spokesman in Tel Aviv revealed that five Egyptian commandos made an unsuccessful attempt to penetrate the Beit Kama settlement yesterday. The Arabs, who hit a number of cattle at the settlement in an exchange of shots with the settlement’s watchmen, went on to Jordan territory. The distance they had come, apparently from the Gaza strip, was longer than the distance to a haven in Jordan. Beit Kama is north of Beersheba.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said today that Israel is aware that Egypt has far more troops in the Nitzana area than authorized by the armistice pact, which calls for the stationing of a total of 30 men in three different check points. He stressed that this excess of troops, coupled with Egypt’s failure to accept unconditionally a UN plea of last Thursday for a ceasefire – which Israel has accepted – puts a serious face on the situation.