The United States may have to reconsider its position with regard to Palestine as a result of discussions today at the U.N. Securing Council during which it became clear that the American proposal for placing Palestine under U.N. trusteeship may not get the necessary majority of seven votes at the present time.
It had been expected that the U.S. delegation would formally submit its proposal at today’s meeting. This would have provided for the calling of a special session of the U.N. General Assembly to revoke the partition decision and consider coasted a recommendation for international trusteeship,However, after hearing the statements made this morning by representatives of Canada, France and other countries, the U.S. delegation decided to abstain from presenting its resolution.
The meeting of the Security Council was adjourned until next Tuesday, but a spokesman for the American delegation refused to affirm that the United States would be ready to present its plan at that time. He emphasized that in view of the fact that the American position did not receive the proper support at today’s meeting, informal consultations would probably be held with members of the Council to see how far they will go in support of a formal resolution before it is presented.
CANADA LEADS OPPOSITION AGAINST AMERICAN TRUSTEESHIP PLAN
The first delegate to inform the Security Council that his government cannot give immediate support to the U.S. plan for trusteeship until other alternatives are explored was General A.G.L. McNaughton of Canada. He was joined by Alexander Parodi of France, who declared that the French Government was not ready to support the U.S. proposal at this stage. M. Parodi suggested that the Council hold one or two private meetings hear the American delegation explain its proposal in more detail.
Dr. Alfonse Lopez of Colombia suggested that the Council adjourn with the understanding that the Big Powers would continue their consultations and report to the Council on the possibility of an agreement between the Arabs and Jews in Palestine. to this, Dr. T,F. Tsiang of China, president of the Council, replied that further consultations among the Big Powers would not serve any useful purpose.
Camille Chamoun, Lebanese representative, said that his government would consider the American proposal for trusteeship “with good will” if no indefinite delay for the proclamation of Palestine as an independent Arab state was intended. Egyptian delegate Mahmoud Bey Fawzi said that the Arabs would not accept partitioning of Palestine on matter how “sugar-coated.” Without committing himself on the U.S. trusteeship proposal, he declared that any decision suspending the implementation of the partition plan would be “a decision in the right direction.” Dr. Abba Hillel Silver presented the Council with the text of a statement adopted yesterday in Tel Aviv by the Jewish Agency and the Vaad Leumi, the Jewish national Council of Palestine, rejecting any plan to set up a Palestine trusteeship and announcing that upon the termination of the Palestine Mandate, “a Provisional Jewish Government will commence to function in cooperation with the representative the United National then in Palestine.”
Dr. Silver told the Council that he would ask for the privilege of commenting from any proposal with regard to Palestine which the U.S. Government many submit. In assured tones he read the following five-point joint declaration of the Agency and the Vaad Leumi:
“1. The Jewish people and the Yishau in Palestine will oppose any proposal assigned to prevent or postpone the establishment of the Jewish State.
“2. We categorically reject any plan to set up a trusteeship regime for Palestine, even for a short period of time. A trusteeship would necessarily entail a ##nial of the Jewish right to national independence. It would leave Palestine under foreign military regime.
“3. The failure and disintegration of the Mandatory Administration, the continuation of which was unanimously rejected by the United Nations, necessitates the early arrival in Palestine of the United National Palestine Commission. The Provisional Council of Government of the Jewish state should be recognized without delay by the United National Palestine Commission so that authority may be transferred to it as envisaged in the United Nationals decision.
“4. Upon the termination of the Mandatory Administration and not later than May 16 next, a Provisional Jewish Government will commence to function in cooperation with the representative of the United Nationals then in Palestine. In the meantime, we shall do our utmost to minimize the chaos created by the present government, and we shall maintain, so far as lies in our power, the public services neglected by it.
“5. The Jewish people extends the hand of peace to the Arab people and incites representatives of the Arab population of the Jewish state to take their rightful place in all its organs of government. The Jewish state will be glad to cooperate with the neighboring Arab states and to enter into permanent treaty relations with them to strengthen world peace and to advance the development of all the countries of the Near East.”
CANADA WANTS BIG POWERS REPRESENTED IN COMMISSIONS ON PALESTINE
In declaring that Canada cannot give immediate support to the U.S. plan for Palestine trusteeship, Gen. McNaughton pointed out at the same time that the “brief and vigorous effort” which has been made to implement the partition decision of the General Assembly failed to bring the expected results. This, he said, was due to the fact that the Mandatory Power did not cooperate, that the Arab states did not comply with the majority decision of the General Assembly, that no progressive transition was effected and that the security Council was vague in its attitude towards implementation.
“It is clear now that the Council could not agree on effective military measures,” Gen. McNaughton said. “It is also clear that cooperation between Jews and Arabs to the extent assumed in the partition plan of the General Assembly is not realizable. It is similarly true that the cooperation of the Mandatory Power could not be expected beyond laying down the Mandate.”
The experience of the U.N. Palestine Commission General McNaughton continued, had proven that commissions of this type should not be composed of small countries only, but should also consist of representative of pores willing and is to assume responsibility.
Analyzing the difficulties of the trusteeship proposal suggested by the United states. General McNaughton said that it is possible that trusteeship would be resisted by both the Jews and the Arab. On the other hand, the “cooling-off period” bring an United Nations trusteeship would be an opportunity for moderate Arab end wish elements to get together and work out a solution of the Palestine problem, he cleared. The Canadian delegation, he added, was not in a position to declare itself a favor of one course or another unless evidence was produced that the course to be taken would bring “a meeting of minds.”
FRANCE WOULD FAVOR ANY SOLUTION CONTAINING “ELEMENTS OF CONCILIATION”
French delegate Parodi said that his government would also favor a ” cooling-off period.” Insofar as American’s new proposal night lead to a truce, France would support it, he said. However, he pointed out that the plan itself needs further study. A commented favorably on the Lebanese “conciliation” proposal of last November and suggested that perhaps a cantonal system under a trustee would be fruitful. This, he said, could lead to eventual partition or, on the other hand, to a unitary state in which the Jews would be assured of equitable immigration.
“France favors any solution which contains elements of conciliation,” he said. “An agreed solution is the only possible solution because of the very close interrelation of the Jewish and Arab communities in Palestine.” In the meantime, he euphemized, the French delegation cannot see its way to vote either for or against the U.S. proposal, since it contains no details.
The French delegate warned that it might be dangerous to call a special session of the General Assembly until a clear course has been charted. “Recent discussions,” he said, “have not contributed to the authority of the United Nations. “The General Assembly which still retains a measure of authority might risk it in reversing its partition decision unless a well-though-out alterative were at hand, he stated. He listed the difficulties inherent in the U.S. suggestion for an interim trusteeship as follows:
1. Time is short and if the trusteeship is to be administered by one state, that state must be ready to take over promptly. An international trusteeship, while possible under the U.N. Charter, would face the difficulty that such an arrangement had never yet been attempted.
2. The U.N. Charter also provided that all states directly concerned should be consulted. It might be difficult to define which are the states directly concern another problem.
3. There is no point in imperiling the authority of the General Assembly until a plan that is acceptable to the parties concerned has been tentatively agreed upon.
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