Bunche Denies He Said Israelis Broke Cease-fire; Aqaba Situation Still Muddled

Acting U.N. Palestine mediator Ralph J. Bunche de##ded today that he had ever said the Israelis broke the U. N. Security Council’s cease-fire order and also denied he had ever received any reports stating that 3,000 Israeli troops were involved in movements along the Transjordan border.

Dr. Bunche’s denial was made following a protest submitted to the mediator It. col. Moshe Dayan, head of the Israeli military delegation here, who drew the ## official’s attention to “two misleading press reports.” The first dealt with a statement ascribed to Burche in which the mediator was quoted as saying that Israeli troop movements in the Regev constituted a grave breach of the cease-fire agreement while Legion movements wore only a technical violation. The second press report which Dayan noted assorted that Bunche had said 3,000 Israeli troops were moving along the Thansjordan frontier.

Col. Dayan charged that both reports, which appeared on the same day, created an unfair impression and were obviously aimed at discrediting one of the parties participating in the Rhodes armistice talks.

(Reuters today reported from London that Britain last week sent a note to Israel warning that British troops stationed at Aqaba would fire on any forces crossing the Israeli-Trans Jordan border. The report, which quoted “a usually reliable diplomatic source,” said that it is understood that the Israeli reply assured Britain that the Jewish troops intentions were peaceful.)

U.N. OBSERVERS CLOSE WATCH ON NEGEV DEVELOPMENTS

Meanwhile, reports on the situation in Aqaba continued to pour into Dr.

An on-the-report from one observer, however, has come through. This U.N. official’s report, obtained from an Arab Legion source, states that Israeli I forces occupied Um Reshresh–located on the Aqaba Gulf within the borders of Palestine–on March 10. Two Israeli jeeps and one personnel transport vehicle succeeded in taking over this area, the report added.

The observer’s dispatch added that this small Israeli garrison was later reinforced and now totals 150 men and 25 vehicles. Although it has not been verified that the Israelis advanced to Um Resferesh, on the road to Egypt, the fact that Um Reshresh is in Israeli hands has officially been verified in Israeli circles here.

(U.N. observers in Baifa are deeply concerned about reports of “incidents” in the central Palestine area opposite the so-called Arab triangle and are trying their best to hold down the tension in view of Israel’s repeated warnings she will not sit back quietly if the incidents continue, it was learned today in Tel Aviv.)