On the eve of the opening of the second special session of the U.N. General Assembly to discuss the future government of Palestine, the United States today served notice that should the U.N. Palestine Commission proceed with the its plans to set up a Provisional Council of Government ## or the Jewish State, it would be considered a breach of the political and military truce sought by the Security Council.
The warning was voiced by U.S. delegate Warren R. Austin during a discussion at the Security Council at which the Palestine truce resolution was presented by President Alfonso Lopez for a vote. The resolution (the text of which was published in yesterday’s JTA Bulletin) was strongly supported by Austin who also pleaded with the Jews and the Arabs for its acceptance.
The U.S. delegate warned the Council that time is short, that the British administration alone exercises governmental authority in Palestine until May 15 and that no other authority can lawfully bear arms there. Not even the United Nations can send in an armed force so long as the British Mandate is in force, except at the invitation of the Mandatory Power, he pointed out.
General A.G.L. McNaughton of Canada also spoke in favor of the truce resolution and appealed to the Jews and Arabs to accept it. He emphasized that the proposal “is the product of a cooperative effort by several delegations, whose main desire was to find a fair and equitable basis on which there might be an immediate cessation of acts of violence in Palestine, without prejudice to the rights, claims or positions of the parties concerned.”
SHERTOK SAYS TRUCE PROPOSAL “LOADS THE DICE;” OUTLINES JEWISH CONDITIONS
Moshe Shertok, speaking on behalf of the Jewish Agency, pointed out that the whole question of a truce in Palestine had been raised in the Security Council as part of a general proposal to set aside the General Assembly’s resolution on partition, and substitute an entirely different plan which the Agency found “utterly unacceptable.”
The very idea of a truce proposal brought forward in this way appeared to “load the dice” against Jewish interest, he declared. In addition, the wording of the resolution already adopted on the truce ignored the main aspect of the Palestine problem–“invasion by armed forces from outside,” organized by the Arab states and “tolerated” by the Mandatory Power They constituted a “permanent act of aggression,” he said.
However, Shertok continued, the Agency had declared Itself willing to enter into a truce arrangement, provided that the truce was a effective one and not a mere cover for the preparation of further aggression, and provided that observance of the truce did not prejudge the main issue at stake or impede Jewish immigration. He emphasized that in the truce talks with the president of the Security Council, the ##cy had made only two stipulations, both of a military rather than a political character. These stipulations were that all foreign armed forces be removed from Palestine and further armed incursions prevented.
TRUCE MUST NOT IMPEDE JEWISH IMMIGRATION, SHERTOK STIPULATES
The truce plan, Shertok noted, called on the Mandatory Power to maintain {SPAN}###{/SPAN} and order. Thus, it appeared that the duration of the truce was limited to the
Shertok suggested a change in the preamble so that the Mandatory Power, ##h its “recent record,” would not be formally assured of full international support ## its acts. He thought prohibition against the entrance of persons “capable of during arms” would affect Jewish immigration. The Jews could not agree that Jewish migrants, whatever their age group, could be thus put on the same footing with ##ed bands now being sent to Palestine to break the law and disturb the peace, he ?lared.
The ban on political activity is too vague, Shertok continued. He suggested at it be deleted from the text, or the wording changed to “any action which might the judice the rights or position of either community under the Mandate and the ##ition resolution of the General Assembly,” a resolution which he termed still ###y valid.”
OPPOSES BRITISH SUPERVISION OF TRUCE IN PALESTINE
Stressing that the British Government “has forfeited its title to Jewish operation,” Shertok said that the Jewish Agency would nevertheless be prepared to operate in certain spheres, “where we would regard cooperation as necessary and granted, but there can be no question of our pledging general cooperation to the British Administration which has so manifestly disregarded and acted contrary to its at basic responsibilities.”
With regard to Britain supervising the truce, Shertok’ said: “The Jewish agency cannot possibly agree that the Mandatory Administration is impartial in the present conflict and can, properly be entrusted in this highly responsible task which quires complete objectivity.”
Finally Shertok regretted the absence of a clear provision to evacuate or ## least immobilize the Arab bands in Palestine. “They are,” he said, “a constant irritant and perpetual source of danger.” He spoke of the “responsibility of the Arab irritant” and the Mandatory Power for the “intolerable situation” caused by the “armed evasion” of Palestine, and said there sere reliable reports that the Arab states, encouraged by the inaction of the Security Council, planned to take over all of Palestine as soon as the British withdraw.
SYRIAN DELEGATE WANTS JEWISH IMMIGRATION HALTED. PARTITION EFFORTS STOPPED
Syrian delegate Faris El Khouri said he would vote for the truce proposal tie condition that Jewish immigration to Palestine is halted and all partition efforts stopped. If the Jews insist on the conditions outlined by Shertok, he stated, then it would be “useless”1 to go on.
Earlier, the Palestine Commission submitted a memorandum to the Council stressing the “urgent need for the immediate shipment of not less than 25,000 pounds of ##heat flour to Palestine, “warning that starvation would follow if this action were not taken.
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.
