U.S. Security Council Hears Israel and Egypt on the Outbreak of Warfare

After a brief urgent meeting of the Security Council this morning during which the Council heard a report about the outbreak of warfare on the Israel-Arab borders from Israel Ambassador Gideon Rafael and from Secretary-General U Thant, strenuous efforts were started by Council members to work out a resolution that might result in a call for a cease fire by all parties in the conflict.

The United States delegation was pressing hard for what one of its top spokesmen called “just a simple resolution” calling upon the Arab states and Israel to cease fire. On the other hand, the Soviet Union, after consultation with the Arab bloc, proposed behind the scenes a three-part resolution which would call for: An immediate cease fire; return of all the armed forces to their demarcation lines; and an immediate effort by the Security Council to assess the guilt as to who had started the conflagration.

Denmark’s Ambassador Hans Tabor, this month’s president of the Council, announced that at 3:10 a.m., Mr. Rafael had informed him officially that “fierce fighting” had broken out on Israel’s borders after Egyptian land and air forces had moved against Israel, and that Israel was engaged in repelling the Egyptian forces, In response to Mr. Rafael’s request. Ambassador Tabor gave the floor to Israel.

Mr. Rafael told the Council the “grave news” that Egypt had started action on Israel’s frontiers and that Israel was repelling the Egyptian forces. He reported that Egyptian planes from Sinai had “struck out against Israel” and that, among the places bombed inside Israel was Natanya. Mr. Rafael quoted the commander of the Egyptian armies as having announced to his forces on Saturday that Egypt was prepared to fight “a holy war for restoring the rights of the Arabs in your land.”

At the same time. Mr. Rafael said that Gen. Moshe Dayan, Israel’s new Minister of Defense, had told his troops that Israel’s sole objective has no aim of conquest.” Mr. Rafael said that Gen. Dayan had told the Israeli troops that “though the numbers of those who are attacking us are greater than ours, we are a brave people and will know how to defend ourselves.”

Egypt’s Ambassador Mohamed El-Kony, addressing the Council, claimed that one Israeli air force pilot, captured by the Egyptians, had appeared this morning on the Cairo television station and had admitted that his orders had been to start bombing Cairo at six o’clock this morning.

JORDAN OCCUPIES U.N. TRUCE HEADQUARTERS IN JERUSALEM; IS REPELLED BY ISRAELIS

Mr. Thant reported that Jordan had fired against Government House, located in no-man’s land between the Old and New cities of Jerusalem, where the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization has maintained headquarters since the Armistice agreements were signed by the Arab states and Israel in 1949. A company of Jordanian soldiers, he told the Council, occupied Government House against a personal protest by Gen. Odd Bull, UNTSO chief of staff. Mr. Thant reported that he had sent an urgent cable to Jordan’s King Hussein requesting “the immediate removal of Jordanian troops from the grounds and buildings of the Government House compound in Jerusalem.”

Later it was reported here that Israeli troops had chased Jordanian soldiers out of Government House and were guarding the UNTSO headquarters.

The Secretary-General said that after the Jordanians had occupied UNTSO headquarters. U.N. headquarters in New York lost communication with UNTSO’s radio transmitter in Government House. Mr. Thant went on to say that at 18:30 local time after a second cease-fire appeal by Gen. Bull, both Jordan and Israel had agreed to stop shooting.

In the north, Mr. Thant reported, U.N. military observers reported that Syrian jet fighters had overflown Israeli territory, resulting in “air battles, anti-aircraft fire and explosions from aircraft bombing.” He said that “the senior Israel delegate to the Israel-Syrian Mixed Armistice Commission informed the UNTSO officer in charge at Tiberias at 12:18 hours local time that Israel considers herself in a state of war with Syria.” Mr. Thant also said that the chairman of ISMAC, who is a UNTSO military observer “reported that Damascus airport was being attacked by Israel aircraft” at 11:10 local time.

During the behind-the-scenes negotiations in an effort to frame a resolution acceptable to all sides, the United States was reportedly insistent that the Council should not call for the Arab military forces and Israel to roll back to their original lines unless the rollback were to go back to the period when Egypt started to blockade the Strait of Tiran.

Most diplomatic observers here felt that the Soviet insistence on a rollback, backed by India, which is also a member of the Council, indicated that they must have received word from the Egyptians that Israel had apparently made considerable advances during the brief period of open warfare.