Israel Attacks Statements of U. N. Truce Chief at Security Council

Israel strongly attacked today Major General Carl C. von Horn, chief of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, for some of the answers he gave the Security Council yesterday in reply to questions concerning the current Syrian-Israel conflict under debate by the Council.

Michael S. Comay, Israel delegation chairman, in one of the sharpest accusations voiced at the UN Security Council by Israel against a United Nations official, declared he must express the “strong regret” of the Israel Government at the “misleading and inadequate” answer given by Gen. von Horn to the question “whether any Syrian post or fortified position had been occupied or destroyed” by the Israeli force which attacked Syrian gunposts early March 17. General von Horn replied that UNTSO military observers reported “no fortified position was seen as existing or destroyed.” This sentence had been understood here as absolutely questioning the Israel Government’s veracity.

“I wish here at the Council table,” Mr. Comay said, “to state on the full authority of my Government that we reject any inference of doubt, which may be contained in Gen. von Horn’s statement.” He added that he was now “categorically” reaffirming the statement he had made before the Council on March 28 which declared specifically that Israel’s March 17 raid was conducted against “a Syrian military position encroaching into the demilitarized zone.”

This position, Mr. Comay said, “which had been involved in the attacks on Israeli vessels on Lake Tiberias, was occupied and destroyed.” He stressed that the existence of this Syrian military position “encroaching into the demilitarized zone, was well known to UNTSO,” and had been called to the attention of UNTSO as recently as 1960. He pointed out that Israel withdrew its attacking force as soon as the action was over.

REPLIES TO ALLEGATION THAT ISRAEL ‘WEAKENED’ HIS AUTHORITY

Mr. Comay also answered the General’s statements regarding the alleged “weakening” of UNTSO’s authority due to Israel’s boycotting of the Syrian Israel Mixed Armistice Commission since 1952. The Israeli justified that boycott on grounds that Syria’s members of the Commission had been insisting that they had the right of entering the demilitarized zone, and that Syria had been constantly trying to “encroach” on Lake Tiberias which is entirely within Israeli territory.

Israel has never denied to the chairman of the MAC the right to act as a chairman without being accompanied by the Syrians, Mr. Comay said. He insisted that the MAC chairman had rights which were not necessarily shared by the Syrian members of the commission.

Mr. Comay was very firm in reminding the Council that Lake Tiberias is solely within Israeli territory and that Israel’s jurisdiction over the lake was a right and not a mere claim. He told the Security Council that Israel always has been willing and was eager now to cooperate with UNTSO. But paramount to Israel, he said, were its “national security and Israel’s undisputed jurisdiction over our own territory.”

He explained that Gen. von Horn’s insistence that Israel permit a UN patrol boat to roam Lale Tiberias was a demand also repeatedly made by Syria “aimed at encouraging Syria’s designs on the lake.” He objected to Gen. von Horn’s equation of Israel’s and Syria’s limitations upon the freedom of movement for UN military observers. In fact, he pointed out, Syria had “crippled” such freedom of movement while “there are no comparable limitations on Israel’s side.”

Mr. Comay fired his heaviest salvoes against Gen. von Horn, for what the Israeli diplomat called the UNTSO chief’s “most startling” statement questioning Israel’s truthfulness on the Syrian gunposts. He said Israel could show UNTSO the heavy arms captured in the March 17 raid. He identified by battalion and brigade number the Syrian army units which “Israel’s small force” wiped out.

RESENTS ATTEMPT OF U. N. TRUCE CHIEF TO ‘THROW DOUBT’ ON ISRAEL

After declaring that for Israel “it is a very serious matter when a United Nations official appears to throw doubt on the factual veracity of my Government’s position,” Mr. Comay assured the Security Council of Israel’s keen desire to cooperate with the United Nations. He concluded by telling the Council:

“If any specific proposal gives rise to legitimate objections on our part, we would hope that our point of view would be understood and respected and not be regarded merely as a non-cooperative attitude on our part. It is only such a spirit of understanding between the UN representatives on the spot and the representatives of the Government which can keep alive an armistice regime that is basically abnormal and should have given way to a peace settlement many years ago.”

Mohamed H. E1-Zayyat, of the United Arab Republic, called upon the Council to adopt a resolution “similar to or stronger than the one adopted in 1956″ which resulted from an Israeli reprisal attack against the Syrians in December 1955. Then he formally presented to the Council Syria’s draft resolution, issued Monday, which would condemn Israel for wanton attack” and call for “sanctions against Israel, should it resort once more in the future to such aggressive acts.”