Strong military or diplomatic pressure against the Arab League states was recommended today by the United Nations Truce Commission in Jerusalem as “the only practical way” of preventing a major assault upon the territory of Israel.
In a cable addressed to Alexandre Parodi, President of the Security Council, the Truce Commission described a futile visit last Monday to King Abdullah of Transjordan. The commission advised Abdullah of the Security Council’s concern over the advance of his troops into Palestine. He replied with what they described as ?a tirade against the Jews” and gave no assurance that the Arab Legion’s invasion would be halted .
Meanwhile, Britain’s role as sponsor of the Arab Legion was bitterly attacked in the Council this morning by Vassili Tarasenko of the Ukraine. “The United Kingdom is at war with Israel,” Tarasenko declared, “and can no longer be considered as aloof impartial. While British delegates talked of peace at Lake Success, Tarasenko added, their government is making “strenuous efforts” to prolong the fighting by maintaining a constant flow of money, arms and ammunitions to the Transjordanian legion.
Tarasenko’s charge that Britain is actually a belligerent in the Palestine war is regarded here as presaging a new and Joint Soviet-American maneuver to shoulder the United Kingdom out of the leading role it assumed yesterday in the Security Council debate. U.N. sources believe that Russia and the United States are working together, for the first time since last November, to neutralize British influence in the Palestine debate by making it plain that Britain must abstain from voting because she is directly involved in the war.
Jamal el Husseini provided the Council with a direct answer to one of the questions dispatched to the Arab Higher Committee on Tuesday when he admitted that his organization had invited the armed intervention of neighboring Arab League states. “We solicited the assistance of each and all of our neighbors,” Jamal declared, “in the most urgent term. We have a legitimate claim on other members of the Arab League for armed assistance to put down the Zionist revolt.”
JEWS PROPOSE ARMISTICE FOR JERUSALEM; SHERTOK LISTS BOMBED SETTLEMENTS
The Security Council was informed today by the U.N. Truce Commission that yesterday the Jews in Jerusalem proposed an armistice for the city, and that this proposal was transmitted by the Commission to the Arab authorities. “We will keep you posted on the results,” the Commission said in its cable to the Council.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Moshe Shertok yesterday presented the Truce Commission with a comprehensive list of Jewish cities and settlements attacked by air and ground forces of the Arab League states. Shertok suggested that the Commission send its military adviser, Col. Roscher Lund of Norway, to Tel Aviv to report directly from that city to Lake Success in view of the communications breakdown between the Israeli capital and Jerusalem.
Shertok also suggested that if the U.N. wished to confirm Haganah reports of Arab aggression it would have to provide the Truce Commission with a competent staff of military observers. He declared that at least three Egyptian aircraft had been bought down by Haganah defenses during air raids on Tel Aviv, with two Pilots captured. Egyptian planes had also bombed Nirim in South Palestine, Shertok added, while unidentified, probably Iraqi planes, attacked Ein Gev, Ashdot Yaakov, Afikim, Masada, Shaar Hagolah and Tiberias.
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