Rabbi Philip S. Bernstein, chairman of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, today expressed “deep concern” over the prospective election of the United Arab Republic to membership in the United Nations Security Council.
In a letter to Secretary of State Christian A. Herter, Rabbi Bernstein declared that “those who violate the peace should not be entrusted with its preservation.” He pointed out that the United Arab Republic has not respected Security Council decisions and has violated the principles of the UN Charter. He cited these instances:
1. The UAR maintains that it is in a state of war against Israel.
2. The UAR violates the 1951 Security Council decision calling on Egypt to end its Suez Canal blockade.
3. It disturbs Middle East peace, using its political and propaganda facilities against Jordan, Iraq, Tunisia and other neighboring governments.
He also referred to the UAR’s recent refusal to negotiate a settlement with Israel. “As a consequence, the energies and resources of the region are dissipated in the acquisition of armaments; the homelessness of the Palestine Arab refugees is cruelly prolonged, and the UN itself is compelled to expend large sums of money for the care of the refugees and the cost of an Emergency Force,” Rabbi Bernstein said.
Israel and its friends are boycotted, and American businessmen are subjected to economic harassment as victims of the UAR policy of boycott and belligerence, the chairman of the AIPAC emphasized. He told Mr. Herter that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is aware that Security Council I membership is distributed on a regional basis and that it is customary for the United States to vote for the candidate supported by other members of the region.
“However, this rule is not an inflexible one and should certainly yield before the larger consideration of faithful adherence to the UN Charter,” he pointed out, Recalling that the UAR has twice before served on the Security Council, he said: “We are not satisfied that its return to membership in that body will invest it with deeper respect for the Charter of the United Nations. And we are not convinced that the other nations in the region regard the United Arab Republic as an authentic spokesman.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
