New Policy of U.N. Truce Chief Defied by Israel; Cabinet Meets

Differences between Israel and the United Nations truce observance organization over the deployment of United Nations truce supervisors in Israeli areas unaccompanied by Israeli Army officers, were considered by the Cabinet here.

Maj. Gen. Moshe Dayan, Israeli Army Chief of Staff, reported to the Cabinet on the situation arising from the new policy instituted by Gen. E.L.M. Burns, UN truce chief. Gen. Burns said over the week-end that what was at issue was a question of the basic authority of the UN truce mission and said this would have to be settled in the Security Council.

(The United Press reported from Jerusalem today that an Israel Army unit opened fire on United States Colonel Charles Brewster of the UN Armistice Commission, hitting his jeep and narrowly escaping hitting him. It reportedly happened near Latrun.)

In an official statement the Israel Foreign Ministry today outlined its position on Gen. Burns’ initiative in setting up a system of unaccompanied patrols. This action, the statement said, exceeds the framework of the armistice agreements. “Any change in the procedure of implementing the agreement must be acceptable to the parties concerned and cannot be instituted by the United Nations truce organization alone. ” This development, violating the principle of mutual agreement on which the armistice pacts are based, is liable to undermine these pacts, the statement warned.

Discussing Gen. Burns’ contention that he derives his authority for his action from Security Council resolutions, the Israel Ministry statement insists that the Council resolutions did not empower the truce supervision organization to act unilaterally without the accord of the respective parties. This, it underlined, would violate Israel’s sovereignty and as such was inconceivable as a UN policy. Israel, it continued, was prepared to consider changes in the current agreement, but would not accept imposed changes.