The prospect of a real solution of the Israel-Arab problem was termed “remote” by William M. Rountree, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, in a public address here. He said, however, that the United States would continue to seek some basis for a more stable arrangement among the states involved in the controversy.
Speaking before the Macon Civitan Club, Mr. Rountree voiced hope and confidence that the United States would “be able to continue progress toward achieving a more stable peace in the Middle East.” He said:
“The tension between the Arab states and Israel continues to be one of the most complex and bitter of the disputes in the area, casting a cloud over the entire region. The United States sincerely hopes for the alleviation of these tensions, and it has on various occasions indicated the form and substance of assistance it would render to a solution. Although the current situation and attitudes render remote a final solution, we continue, both directly and through the United Nations, to seek some basis for a more stable arrangement among the states involved.”
Declaring that, for decades, there was a growing conflict between the Arab states and the increasing Jewish population of Palestine, over the Jewish desire for the establishment of a national homeland,” Mr. Rountree said that when Israel was created “many nations, motivated by the plight of the Jewish people, and by the long association of the race with Palestine, supported this move.”
He related that Israel “was immediately opposed by the Arabs, who also claimed Palestine, and a brief war resulted. The war was brought to a conclusion by a series of armistice agreements, but the legacy of an uneasy frontier and hundreds of thousands of Arab refugees now remain.”
The Arab refugees, he declared, have since 1948 been “a particular concern to the United States.” He said the United States provided 70 percent of the United Nations funds used for Arab refugees, but “the Soviet Union, despite its claim for friendship for the Arabs, has made no contribution whatsoever. We continue to demonstrate our interest in the welfare and in the future status of these people, which we believe should be assured through repatriation, or resettlement with proper compensation.”
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