Israel Press Takes Issue with Dulles’ Views on Arab Refugees

The press of the two major parties in the Israel Government coalition, commenting today on Secretary of State Dulles’ report on his visit to the Middle East, took issue with a number of points raised by the Secretary. Both the Laborite Davar and the General Zionist Haboker considered some of his statements dangerous for Israel’s welfare.

Both newspapers took particular exception to the Secretary’s suggestion that Israel might have to accept some of the Arab refugees. Davar insisted that Israel could not accept this proposal, especially when the security situation was far from satisfactory and when Israel had become a port of shelter for tens of thousands of immigrants from Europe. The Labor newspaper declared that the only place for the resettlement of the Arab refugees was in the Arab states.

Haboker, which blamed Israel’s “unsuccessful” diplomacy for the current state of affairs, insisted that appeasement of the Arabs would bring the same results as appeasement at Munich and expressed the opinion the returning Arab refugees would constitute a knife at Israel’s back. It demanded intensified diplomatic activity on the part of the government.

(In Cairo, Mohammed Fuad Galal, Minister of National Guidance, commenting on Mr. Dallas’ report, said: “The attitude of the Arabs toward Israel is known. We maintain that the United Nations resolutions on Palestine must be carried out Israel alone cannot be a danger to the Arabs. If there is anything to be understood from the statement of Mr. Dallas it is that America’s assistance to Israel is considered as a danger by the Arabs.”)