Bennike Questioned at Security Council Session on Palestine Report

Security Council consideration of the Palestine security situation was deferred today until next Wednesday after several members of the Council, and the Israel delegate, submitted a series of questions to Major Gen. Vagn Bennike, United Nations truce observance chief in Palestine, on the report he made to the Council earlier this week.

Gen. Bennike will submit written replies to these questions to the new Council President for November, Henri Hoppenot of France, in advance of the meeting. Questions were asked today by Britain, France, the United States, Greece, Israel and the Lebanon.

Sir Gladwyn Jebb of Britain asked the truce chief to comment on Israel Premier David Ben Gurion’s categorical statement that Jewish settlers, not Israeli Army regulars, had carried out the raid on Kibya and also asked what investigations were made of the prior incident in which a Jewish woman and two small children were slain by Arab infiltrators.

Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., American delegate, asked a number of questions about organization of infiltration, damages suffered by Israel as a result of infiltration and, as did the British and French delegates, sought further information on the workings of the truce supervision machinery. The Greek representative asked whether General Bennike would advise strengthening the observer corps so that it could play a preventive role.

Abba S. Eban, Israel delegate, asked for information whether the truce investigators had examined arms held by the border settlements to ascertain whether or not they were of the same type used by the Israel Army, the use of which in the raid on Kibya was taken as evidence that regular Army units had participated in the raid.

The Security Council will meet again tomorrow afternoon to consider the Syrian complaint against Israel over alleged diversion of the waters of the Jordan.