Arabs, Communists Continue to Demand Israel Back Down on Jerusalem

The United Nations General Assembly continued today debate on a Pakistan resolution to require Israel to repeal measures it has taken for reunification of Jerusalem. Speakers representing the Arab states and the Communist bloc held the floor throughout today’s sessions and repeated their criticisms of Israel and their demands that Israel be condemned and forced to yield on Jerusalem. The Assembly is not expected to vote on the resolution before next Tuesday.

(In Jerusalem today, Msgr. Angelo Felici, the special papal envoy, paid a call on President Zalman Shazar. The Vatican diplomat had postponed his scheduled return to Rome in order to make this visit. Msgr. Felici, during his stay here, inspected the holy places and had meetings with Prime Minister Eshkol and Foreign Minister Eban. The Israeli-Vatican talks on the future supervision of the holy places were to be continued in Rome.)

Following the failure of the General Assembly’s emergency session to agree on a resolution dealing with the Arab-Israel situation, five Latin American countries–Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, Honduras and Ecuador began behind-scenes discussions today seeking to formulate a resolution requiring Israel to withdraw its troops behind the June 5 borders that would stand some chance of acceptance.

A draft circulated today would have the Assembly “expect Israel to withdraw from Arab territories” and, in another paragraph would “recognize the right of countries to exist.” But the resolution did not link Israeli withdrawal to a termination of the state of belligerency and the draft, consequently was not acceptable to the United States or to many other Latin American states.