U. N. Lacks Sufficient Strength to Enforce Negev Withdrawal Order, Gen. Riley Says

The United Nations does not have a large enough force to enforce the Security Council order to the Egyptians and Israelis to withdraw their troops from the Negev, Gen. William Riley, chief of staff to the acting mediator and second in command of the U.N. truce supervision machinery, declared at a press conference in Haifa last night.

For that reason, Gen. Riley said, enforcement of the withdrawal order depends on the moral support given the truce supervisory organization. He added that with good will on the part of the Jews and the Arabs it will be possible to settle all outstanding problems.

Plans for greatly increasing the available water supply to the Jewish settlements in the Negev have been worked out, it was learned here today. The plans include provision for increasing the size of existing pipelines and for linking new settlements into the water system in the immediate future. A Dutch agricultural export has been invited to come to Israel to help plan more intensive cultivation in the southern region.

An Israeli spokesman today denied a report from Beirut that Egyptian troops smashed their way out of Israeli encirclement in the Faluja area and made their way to Hebron to join other units of the Egyptian invasion force. “The Egyptians are still in the Faluja pocket and there has been no change in the front,” he said. Commenting on the Security Council’s adoption of the Canadian armistice resolution, the spokesman said that the resolution’s insistence on direct armistice talks was a hopeful sign. “We are interested in direct talks at all times and are ready to sit down with the Arabs, even tomorrow,” he added.

Israeli school children today presented to the Israeli Air Force an air ambulance capable of flying four wounded persons. The gift was presented to the Air Force “somewhere in Israel” at ceremonies attended by Tel Aviv Mayor Israel Roknch, the commander of the Israeli Air Force and other notables.

Nearly 115,000 immigrants reached Israel since 1947, Immigration Minister Moshe Shapiro said today. He added that 35,000 more immigrants were expected to arrive in November and December. At least 30,000 have come since May from Austrian, German, and Italian displaced persons camps, he declared, and 12,000 arrived from Cyprus. Of some 4,000 Yemenites at the Aden camp, 3,000 are expected to arrive by air soon. The British authorities at Aden refuse to permit those of military age to leave the camp for Israel, he emphasized.