West Bank Arab leaders complained to Lord Caradon yesterday that Arabs were being denied their basic right of self-determination. But one of them, Mayor Mohammed Ali el-Jaabari of Hebron, urged the visiting British diplomat to serve as a mediator between Israel and the Arabs.
Lord Caradon, the former British Ambassador to the United Nations and the principal author of the Security Council’s Resolution ?2 is on a private visit to Israel. He lunched with Foreign Minister Abba Eban yesterday and visited friends on the West Bank where he lived during the 1930s when he was district commissioner of the Nablus district.
Jaabari said Lord Caradon’s familiarity with the country would make him an effective mediator who could bring the two sides together. But Mayor Elias Freij, of Bethlehem, said that time was working against Arab interests. He noted that Israel has built 44 settlements on Arab lands and has scheduled more for the future.
NEGOTIATIONS UNDER INTERNATIONAL AUSPICES
Lord Caradon told his hosts both in Hebron and Bethlehem that he thought the Middle East problem was moving toward a peaceful solution. He cited King Hussein’s moderation and his recognition of the right of self-determination for the Palestinian Arabs.
In a radio interview, the British diplomat said that the text of Resolution 242 clearly implied negotiations between the parties prior to any territorial withdrawals. Observing that the essential phrase in the resolution, which has not been sufficiently stressed, was “withdrawal to secure and recognized boundaries,” Lord Caradon said: “For borders to be secure they have to be recog- nized and that is why one has to reach agreement between the parties. This is the central point.”
Lord Caradon suggested negotiations under international auspices as a compromise between Israel’s insistence on direct negotiations and the Arabs’ opposition to any negotiations. He said he would expect both parties to come to negotiations without preconditions and prepared to discuss any subjects.
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