Jordan Asks Security Council Meeting on Israeli Reprisal Raids

Jordan requested today a meeting of the Security Council “as early as possible in order to take the necessary action” because of a “serious situation” resulting from two Israeli raids which cost a total of 50 Jordanian dead and 19 wounded.

Jordan’s call informed the Security Council officially of Israel’s raids on the fortress at Qualqilya last week and of Israel’s destruction of a police post at Husan a fortnight earlier. While Jordan was evidently insisting on a Council meeting this week, it appeared that the Council would probably not come together for this purpose until some time next week.

At the same time, a special report was submitted to Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold by Maj. Gen. E. L. M. Burns, chief of staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine, criticizing the Israel Government for boycotting the Israel-Jordan Mixed Armistice Commission. This Israel action, Gen. Burns declared. “paralyzes the observation and investigation machinery of the MAC as far as incidents affecting Israel are concerned.” and is “a negation of vital elements of the armistice agreement.”

Gen. Burns declared that “the situation is that one of the parties (Israel) to the General Armistice Agreement makes its own investigations, which are not subject to check or confirmation by any disinterested observers, publishes the results of such investigations, draws its own conclusions from them, and undertakes actions by its military forces on that basis.”

Israel’s delegation deputy chairman, Mordecai Kidron conferred today with Mr. Hammarskjold. Later, the Secretary General met separately with Jordan’s delegate, Abdul Monem Rifai, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr. Mahmoud Fawzi.