A spokesman for the American delegation to the United Nations made it clear here today that the United States still insists that Israel withdraw fully and completely behind the 1949 armistice lines, despite all of Israel’s warnings about the danger of returning to the pre-Sinai campaign status quo.
The spokesman said that the U.S. Government wants Israel’s withdrawal to take place without any conditions or requests which Israel might have at present. The American delegation at the United Nations, he said, “expects” that Israel’s withdrawal of troops to points behind the old demarcation lines will take place “promptly.”
On the other hand, it was indicated here that the United States delegation does not favor the introduction of a new resolution at the UN censuring Israel for its slowness in complying strictly with the General Assembly resolutions which ordered troop withdrawals “forthwith.” The U.S. spokesman stated that he does not behave that any “persuasion” or pressure is needed, as far as Israel is concerned.
American reluctance to back the Israel-censure move–already initiated by the Arab bloc with the support of the Afro-Asian group and the Soviet members–was explained in diplomatic sources here by the fact that Washington fears that presentation of an anti-Israel resolution here, while the new Eisenhower Middle East Doctrine is being discussed in Congress, may put the Administration on the spot. Washington does not want pro-Israel members of Congress to use the Israel-Arab issue as an excuse for not supporting the President’s new Middle East policy; nor does it want the Arab countries to “suspect” the Administration of a pro-Israeli attitude.
EBAN CONFERS WITH HAMMARSKJOLD ON TIMETABLE OF ISRAEL’S WITHDRAWAL
Abba Eban, chairman of Israel’s permanent delegation, met today for the second time in 72 hours, with UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold. As customary, none of the participants would talk about the subject matter discussed. However, it was understood that Ambassador Eban came to give Mr. Hammarskjold the answer to an inquiry made Saturday as to the reasons why Israel has not met the timetable by completing its troop withdrawal from El Arish. Mr. Eban is reported to have told the Secretary General Saturday that he would inquiry from his government about the answer to that question. Today, presumably, he had brought Jerusalem’s reply.
Pursuing Israel’s policy of explaining its need of complete security against resumption of Arab belligerency, Mrs. Golda Meir met with three different groups of delegates to the UN in the past two days. At luncheon yesterday, she and Ambassador Loan conferred with Asian delegates and late yesterday she outlined Israel’s position to some 20 delegates from Western Europe, Scandinavia and the British Commonwealth. This morning, Mrs. Meir conferred with representatives of the Latin bloc. She departed for Israel tonight.
Mrs. Meir mentioned all of the current pressing problems and the important issues ahead, such as: Israel’s fear of renewed Egyptian army build-ups behind the screen of the United Nations Emergency Force; Israel’s need for guarantees of freedom of shipping through the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Akaba; Egypts violation of UN resolutions by its renewed campaign of attacks inside the Jewish State by fedayeen commandos, and Israel’s insistence that the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula must not again become Egyptian bases for anti-Israeli attacks.
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