Israel to Report to U. N. Delegations on Arab Infiltrations

Israel Ambassador Abba Eban announced today that the Israeli delegation at the United Nations would circulate to all delegations here a document giving a “consolidated” and “coherent” picture of the depredations caused by Arab marauders, mostly from Jordan, during the past year and a half. He said this procedure was being adopted instead of a direct appeal to the Security Council.

Ambassador Eban said that the purpose of this demarche was to try to get governments, particularly those of the United States and United Kingdom which have a special influence in the area to bring pressure to bear on the, Jordan Government to stop this infiltration. Mr. Eban indicated that the Israeli Government had approached the diplomatic representatives of the U.S. and Britain in Tel Aviv to obtain their good offices in this matter. The Israel Government, he said, put a high store on such moves. The Israeli representative spoke of two other methods of stopping the infiltrations:

1. An agreement between the local commanders. This was renewed a short time ago but since its signature there has been no diminution in the number of marauders from Jordan; 2. A high level meeting of the Israeli and Jordan Governments. This had been suggested by Lt. Gen. William E. Riley, retiring U. N. chief of staff of the truce super vision machinery. Israel had accepted this proposal, but in his last report to the United Nations, General Riley said he was still awaiting a response from Jordan.

Mr. Eban announced the circulation of this document at a press conference following an interview with U. N. Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold yesterday in which he had discussed this issue. He gave the following facts and figures relating to Arab depredations along the Israel border:

In 1952 there were 3,742 incidents, nearly all of them on the Israeli-Jordan border; 59 Israeli citizens had been killed, 39 abducted and 74 wounded; and $3,000,000 damage done to Israeli property. From the first of January to mid-June 1953, there have been 146 armed clashes, again mostly on the Israeli-Jordan border; 15 Israeli citizens had been killed, 46 wounded and 13 abducted. The infiltrations had mounted sharply, he said, during the month of June.

Mr. Eban said that whenever Arab Governments had agreed to halt the infiltration it had stopped. He gave figures for the month of March 1953 which showed that there had only been one infiltration from across the Syrian border, 10 on the Lebanese border, but there had been 133 on the Jordan border. Both Syria and Lebanon had signed agreements to prevent infiltration. This was a reason the Ambassador declared, the Israeli Government was so anxious to get the good offices of the U.S. and Britain to bring pressure on Jordan to sign a similar agreement.