U.N. Security Council Issues Appeal to Jews and Arabs to Prolong Truce Agreement

The U.N. Security Council today voted to authorize an extension of the truce in Palestine and sent an urgent appeal to the Jews and Arabs “to accept in principle the prolongation of the truce for such a period as may be decided upon in consultation with the U.N. mediator.” The representatives of the Soviet Union, the Ukraine and Syria abstained from voting.

The decision was taken after a long day of tedious debate in the course of which the Jewish representative was seated at the Council table for the first time in U.N. history as the “representative of the state of Israel” by this month’s president, Dmitri Z. Manuilsky, of the Ukraine, over the objections of some of the Council’s members. The proposal for the extension of the truce was introduced by British delegate Sir Alexander Cadogan and supported by eight of the members of the Council.

GROMYKO ATTACKS BERNADOTTE’S “SUGGESTIONS” AS BIASED AGAINST JEWS

Analyzing Bernadotte’s suggestions in detail, Gromyko said they were biased against the Jews and expressly designed to delay a peaceful settlement. Such a scheme, he added, could only have been written by the British Foreign Office. By implication, he accused Bernadotte of being a willing tool in Britain’s hands.

“Count Bernadotte has decided to place himself over and above the United Nations,” the Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister declared. “His plan goes counter to the General Assembly’s decision of November 29 which is still in force since it was not revoked by the special session.”

The union between Israel and Transjordan proposed by Bernadotte, under which Transjordan would annex Jerusalem and the Negev, would “abolish the Assembly decision with a single stroke,” he said. It was obvious from the shape of Bernadotte’s proposals, Gromyko added, that the mediator is “doing the bidding of those who stand behind his back.”

With special vehemence, Gromyko attacked Bernadotte’s scheme to hand over Jerusalem and the Negev to King Abdullah whom he described as “a puppet king who is on the payroll of the British Exchequer,” Abdullah’s proposed ascendancy was part of a British military adventure which had the support of “ruling circles in other counties, including the United States, the Soviet delegate said.

ARAB STAGES WALKOUT AS COUNCIL RECOGNIZES EXISTENCE OF STATE OF ISRAEL

The greater part of the morning session of the Council was taken up by a debate over the action of the Council president in extending an invitation to Israeli representative Aubrey S. Eban to the Council table and addressing him as “the representative of the Government of Israel.” This was the first time that the Jewish emissary was seated as “the representative of the state of Israel.” The designation had previously been “the representative of the Jewish Agency for Palestine.”

Some members of the Council objected to Manuilsky’s action and asserted that did not commit their governments to recognition of the Jewish state, A vote was taken, but only five–of the necessary seven–votes were cast in favor of overruling Manuilsky’s designation. At this point, Jamal el Hussein, representative of the Palestine Arab Higher Committee, staged a walkout, declaring that he could not under the circumstances “assist” the Council in its deliberations. The Arab representatives from Egypt, Syria and Lebanon, however, remained at the Council table.

Voting against Manttilsky’s designation were the delegates of the United Kingdom, China, Belgium, Syria and Canada. The United States delegates and representatives from other countries reserved their position on the presidents procedure.

BERNADOTTE REPORTS TRANSJORDAN VIOLATES TRUCE; WITHHOLDS WATER FROM JERUSALEM

U.N. mediator Count Bernadotte, in a message to the Security Council, today charged Transjordan with violating the truce by preventing the flow of water into Jerusalem during the entire truce period. He emphasized that “any Security Council action with regard to the prolongation of the truce should be with the clear understanding that food, water and other essential non-military supplies will flow into Jerusalem under United Nations control and regulation.”

Acting on the mediator’s report of Transjordan’s truce violation, the Council voted to instruct Monuilsky to cable Bernadotte that the continued flow of food, water and other non-military supplies is part of the Arab-Israeli truce pact and is to be included in the extension of the truce.

Faris el Khoury of Syria told the Council that the United States had violated the Palestine truce by appointing a diplomatic representative to the Tel Aviv government. This, he claimed, “strengthened one side against the other,” The Arabs, he added, could see no useful purpose in prolonging the truce if the United States continued to favor the Israeli Government.