Security Council Meets Tomorrow on Israel Complaint Against Egypt

The Security Council has been summoned to meet this Tuesday on Israel’s complaint of repeated aggressions by Egypt in the Gaza border area, as members of the Council this week-end received a long and detailed report from Maj. Gen. E.L.M. Burns bearing out Israel’s charges against Egypt.

In his long report, Gen. Burns, chief of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine, indirectly blamed Egypt for many of the clashes that have occurred in the Gaza area since the “Gaza incident” of February 28, for which the Council condemned Israel last month. At the same time, Gen. Burns reported what seemed like genuine progress toward bringing Israel and Egypt to agreement on some of his recommendations for tightening security regulations along the turbulent Gaza border.

(In Jerusalem today, the Israel Cabinet discussed Gen Burns’ report to the Security Council. The UN truce chief, meanwhile, inspected a number of Jewish settlements along the Gaza strip border, many of which had recently been under Egyptian attack.)

Leading members of the Security Council, especially the Big Three Western Powers–the United States, Great Britain and France–had let it be known that they were more interested in a report from Gen. Burns regarding his pacifying recommendations, rather than about the day-to-day clashes which have occurred with greater frequency in March and April. Israel had requested that the truce supervision chief provide the Council with copies of all the resolutions adopted in recent weeks by the Egypt-Israel Mixed Armistice Commission, to show that Egypt was largely at fault. The Burns report covers both of these phases.

Since February 28, Egypt had filed 49 complaints with the MAC against Israel, while Israel had accused Egypt of 35 aggressions of one kind or another. A breakdown of the Burns report shows that emergency MAC meetings as a result of these complaints condemned Egypt nine separate times for responsibility for serious incidents, including the one at Patish, where a wedding party was attacked, and the “most serious incident” at Nahal Oz, where the Israelis suffered two dead and twelve wounded. As against this total of nine anti-Egypt resolutions adopted by the MAC, there were four motions of censure against Israel–but these four included one “technical violation” for Israel use of fire purely in self-defense during the Nahal Oz attack.

The unusual statement by the MAC as a result of the Nahal Oz incident, using the term “technical violation,” is given specific approval by Gen. Burns in his report.

“In my view,” declared Gen. Burns, “a majority of the incidents listed are due to emotional tension, following the action at Gaza on February 28…It would appear that the actions for which Egypt has been condemned may be due to unofficial retaliations by military or civilian personnel in the Gaza area and, in some cases, to the hasty opening of fire against what was believed to be a threat of attack.”

“In any case,” the Burns report continued, “if the situation is not to continue to deteriorate, such actions must be repressed by Egypt and, on the other hand, Israel forces must avoid any provocation or actions which might legitimately cause Egyptian forward troops to fear attack.”

Gen. Burns reported that, in his recent contacts with “responsible senior Israel and Egyptian military authorities,” he had received Egyptian agreement “in principle” to joint patrols for border areas; had got both sides to agree to direct contact among local commanders; has received assurances from both sides that only “disciplined, regular military and police forces” are being employed on and near the frontiers; and has received Israel agreement to erection of “an obstacle” to help prevent infiltration from the Egyptian side.