Security Council Votes Unanimous Condemnation of Israel’s Raid

A resolution condemning Israel for its retaliatory raid on Syrian military positions on December 11 in the Lake Tiberias area was unanimously adopted here today by the United Nations Security Council after eight sessions held in the course of nearly five weeks.

Soviet delegate Arkady A. Sobolev said after the balloting that although he had voted for the resolution which was sponsored jointly by the United States, Britain and France, he does not agree with that portion which refers to “interference by Syrian authorities with Israeli activities on Lake Tiberias.” The Soviet delegate and the delegate of Yugoslavia originally introduced their own resolutions, but these resolutions did not come to a vote.

The adopted resolution, although censuring Israel, at the same time met Israel’s request for an exchange of prisoners of war between Syria and Israel. It made no mention of reparations against Israel, as requested by Syria with the support of the Soviet delegation and other members of the Security Council. However, it gave Israel stern warning that in the event of another attack, the Council would have to consider further and more stringent measures “under the Charter.”

STERNER CONDEMNATION OF ISRAEL PREVENTED BY WESTERN POWERS

Achievement of a unanimous vote on the resolution was a distinct victory for the Big Three Western Powers which had fought sterner condemnation proposed by the Soviet Union as well as “compromise” drafts by Yugoslavia and Iran which would have come closer to the Soviet version.

Ahmed Shukairy, chairman of the Syrian delegation, started the days debate by warning the Council that failure to meet some of his requests, which included expulsion of Israel from the UN and imposition of sanctions against the Jewish State, might lead to the outbreak of war. The issue, Mr. Shukairy said, called not merely for verbal condemnation of Israel but was a matter of war or no war. He also implied, in regard to that section of the resolution that calls for release of “all prisoners,” that Syria would not heed the Council’s order that Damascus release the Israeli prisoners it is holding.

Carlos Blanco of Cuba and Dr. E. Ronald Walker of Australia expressed themselves as friendly toward Israel although in the end they voted for the condemnatory resolution Dr. Blanco, especially, went out of his way to declare that Cuba was not in the Council to defend the cause of Syria and was interested instead in defending Israel’s cause, in spite of provocations.

Abba Eban, Israel delegate, clashed once again with Mr. Soboley, whose resolution the Israeli charged was non-objective. Mr. Eban specifically took issue with the Russian’s declaration, made twice during the long drawn out debate, that Israel had been hostile to its Arab neighbors “from the beginning of the state’s existence.” Pointing out that the Russian delegate was repeating words previously used by Moscow’s Communist boss Nikita Khruschev, Mr. Eban called that attitude a “distortion of history” and quoted the answer given by Israelis Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett, who had branded the libel as a statement that had brought “amazement and revulsion in the hearts of all lovers of truth.”