"We are no longer bound by the United Nations partition decision of November 29," Premier David Ben Gurion today declared in a written reply in the State Council answering questions by Arieh Altman, leader of the Palestine Revisionist Party. A debate on foreign policy, scheduled to be held in the Council today, was postponed until some time next week because of the departure for Paris of Foreign Minister Moshe Shertok and developments at the U.N. in Paris.
The Council decided today, by a vote of 19-7, against giving voting rights to DP’s still interned on Cyprus. The ballotting followed Ben Gurion’s explanation that if the Cyprus prisoners were enfranchised while they were still outside Israel, Arabs not now residing in Israel could question the validity of the national elections on the grounds that they were excluded from voting. He regretted that the Cyprus Jews and Israeli representatives abroad were excluded from voting, but said that he considered it much more important that the principle of only residents voting be maintained.
Soviet Minister Pavel Yershov for the first time last night addressed a public meeting in Israel. The meeting was arranged by the League for Friendship with the U.S.S.R. on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Soviet revolution. Yershov said that Russia supported Israel because this was in line with its policy of peace and of support of the peace-loving nations aspiring to freedom. Other speakers included Ministers Itzhak Gruenbaum, David Remez and Aaron Zisling, labor leader Zalman Rubashov and the Polish and Czech consuls.
ISRAELI PRESS REPORTS NEW DETAILS ON PRESENCE OF BRITISH TROOPS IN PALESTINE
The local afternoon press today reported new details of the presence of British troops in Palestine. The reports said that a British military column which included 40 armored cars and 300 escorting troops has been seen on Palestine soil.
U.N. headquarters in Haifa yesterday reported to acting mediator Dr. Ralph Bunche in Paris the arrest on the Negev of two U.N. observers and their transportation by Israeli military police to Tel Aviv where they were identified by local U.N. officials and released. The observers were on duty in the area of the Iraq Suewidan police station when the Egyptians attempted to break out of their encircled positions. The Jews replied to the Egyptian action with artillery, tanks and plans, and the Israeli liaison officer assigned to the observers declined to go any closer to the fighting.
The observers went on alone, in contradiction of front line custom during the truce, and were subsequently picked up by military police who held them captive for about an hour in the vicinity of the fighting, giving them an opportunity to watch the action. An Israeli spokesmen in Tel Aviv today said that the observers’ action was very serious, since some months ago another observer was killed in a mined area when he pushed on despite the warnings of Israeli liaison officers.
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