Twenty-four hours after Israel’s reprisal raid against Jordan, calm prevailed on all borders today as the nation girded itself for the political and diplomatic struggle expected as a consequence of the retaliatory action.
Lt. Gen. Odd Bull, chief of staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, has already sent an initial report on the battle to U.N. Secretary-General U Thant, informing him that both sides are respecting the cease fire. An UNTSO spokesman said today that Gen. Bull was preparing a detailed report which will be filed to New York within a few days.
While Jordan has not called for a Security Council session on the raid, Israeli officials expect Jordan and other Arab states to try to raise the issue at all possible levels. Israeli officials indicated Israel would welcome such an opportunity to reassert again its rights to border security and its moral and legal obligations to defend its territory and citizens.
Israeli officials noted with satisfaction that although the Arab countries came out strongly in Jordan’s support with words, not one of them took the slightest action on Jordan’s behalf. Israeli officials said they hoped that the Arab states would now press the Syrian regime to respect its border obligations. On the Jordan border itself, observers reported large Arab Legion activity and a concentration of Jordanian forces below the Hebron area.
ISRAEL DISAPPOINTED WITH U.S. VIEW ON ITS RETALIATION RAID
The State Department communique from Washington issued yesterday was received here with disappointment. In the words of a Jerusalem Post editorial today, after the failure of the Security Council and the U.N. Mixed Armistice Commissions to check infiltration by Arab guerrillas into Israel, “Washington’s counsel of restraint cannot be viewed except as a last resort to comfortable cliches which have lost all relevance.”
Reports received here from other capitals indicated that, generally speaking, it was understood that Israel, confronted with unceasing infiltrations and insecurity, had no other choice than to act as it did.
Premier Levi Eshkol said last night that Israel struck at Jordan because it had to take action to warn Arab countries they could not escape responsibility for the sabotage raids into Israel. Speaking at the opening of the 15th world convention of the Women’s International Zionist Organization, the Premier said that Israel acted yesterday after showing prolonged patience. He called on the Arab countries to maintain peace, declaring that the issue was up to them.
BEN-GURION BACKS RAID; SAYS NO RELIANCE SHOULD BE PUT ON U.N.
The Premier referred to the Soviet veto last week at the Security Council of a resolution asking Syria to take action to halt the use of its territory for guerrilla raid staging. He said that in spite of the veto, Syria should take notice of the expressed wish of the majority of Security Council member nations that violence be prevented. He added he hoped some nations with influence over the Syrian regime might induce Syria to keep the peace.
He said also that he hoped the raid against Jordan would also serve as a lesson to Syria which now would understand that Israel would not remain passive while its citizen were attacked. He stressed that Israel regretted that the Soviet Union, which had sprelibelous charges against Israel, even used its veto to prevent adoption of a resolution against Syrian support of the guerrilla raiders.
Former Premier David Ben-Gurion took a similar stand in an address to the co- committee of his dissident Israel Workers Party (Rafi) last night. He asserted that alliance should be put on the United Nations and that Israel must itself ensure its secure.
Israeli officials returned to Jordan today the body of a captured Jordanian army major who died from battle wounds in an Israeli hospital despite emergency efforts to save his life. The major was found lying seriously wounded in the Samua area as Israeli troops were withdrawing after their raid Sunday. He was given immediate first aid by an Israeli army doctor and rushed by helicopter to an Israeli hospital. He died on the operating table.
Israeli officials transferred the body to United Nations officers at the Mandelbaum Gate between new and old Jerusalem. The U.N. transmitted the body to Jordanian officials. Israel supplied the U.N. with a full medical report on the treatment given to the Jordanian major.
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