Security Council Members Argue over Measures to Punish Israel for Defiance

The Security Council, scheduled to meet this afternoon to take action on Israel’s refusal to call off today’s military parade in Jerusalem, as ordered by the Council last Saturday, was tied up in efforts to decide what action to take. Secretary-General U Thant reported to the Council that Israel had held the military parade in Jerusalem. Two members of the Council, India and Algeria, immediately drafted a resolution which would have condemned Israel sharply. However, after nearly three hours of wrangling in informal discussions, no agreement had been reached on an acceptable text, but the Algerian and Indian sponsors expressed willingness to drop their call for sanctions. They insisted however, that Israel be sharply condemned for refusing to heed last Saturday’s anti-parade resolution. The western powers, under the leadership of Lord Caradon, Council President, insisted that the resolution must only “deplore” Israel’s negation of Saturday’s resolution and must call upon the Arab States and Israel to give closer cooperation to the Jarring peace mission.

In his report, Mr. Thant stressed that Israel had conducted Its Independence Day ceremony “east of the armistice demarcation line,” but made no mention of the fact that Israel had conducted its parade, as It has contends, entirely Inside the cease-fire line between the Israeli and Jordanian forces set up under the Council’s cease-fire resolution of last June.