Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold notified the Security Council today–less than 48 hours before Israel’s scheduled Independence Day parade in Jerusalem–that Israel had failed thus far to indicate whether it intended to live up to last week’s Council resolution which, in the opinion of the UN Chief, forbids the use of heavy armaments in that parade.
Mr. Hammarskjold also revealed that Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion had written to him, disputing the need for Mr. Hammarskjold to report on this issue to the Security Council. In his letter, Mr. Ben-Gurion indicated that he had received a request from the Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, calling for assurance that Israel would comply with last week’s Security Council resolution and stating that Mr. Hammarskjold must report on the matter. In his letter to Mr. Hammarskjold, Mr. Ben-Gurion stated:
“Frankly, I am puzzled by the present request to furnish information for the sole purpose of enabling you to present a report to the Security Council on Monday, April 17. Nothing in the Security Council resolution of April 11 provides for the submission of any report by you.”
In his unusual letter to the Security Council, Mr. Hammarskjold informs the body also that Israel had complained that Jordan had been massing troops in the Old City of Jerusalem, and had complained on that point to the Jordan-Israel Mixed Armistice Commission. Israel, according to Mr. Hammraskjold, claimed that one clause of last week’s resolution–a clause introduced by the United States calling-upon both Jordan and Israel to observe the armistice agreement between the two countries–vitiated the other clauses which condemn Israel’s Independence Day parade plans if the parade is to display heavy armaments.
“An examination of the Security Council debate,” stated Mr. Hammarskjold in his letter to the Council, “indicates that this interpretation of the relationship between the two paragraphs is incorrect.” The U.S. amendment, according to Mr. Hammarskjold, “in no sense intended to derogate” from the meaning of another clause in the resolution which upheld a previous decision of the Jordan-Israel Mixed Armistice Commission, condemning Israel’s use of heavy armor in the planned parade.
Mr. Hammarskjold in his report to the Council stated that he had discussed the entire issue of the parade with Israel’s mission at the United Nations. He insisted that Israel’s complaint against Jordan’s massing of troops was a separate matter, that so far, the MAC had found no evidence that Jordan was massing troops or heavy equipment in the Old City, and that examination of Jordanian positions by UN military observers showed “no indication of equipment having been placed in position recently.”
The UN Chief stated, further, that Israel’s charges against Jordan, “even if confirmed, cannot release Israel from the obligation to comply with the provisions of a Security Council resolution.” A violation by one party, he stated, “cannot be justified on the ground that similar action is being planned by the second party.”
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