Friday, November 29, 1957—THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS-22 .
Power Struggle Hurts Israel
(Continued from Page 1)
when the Jordanians refused
to permit a transport of Is-
raeli supplies to reach Mount
Scopus, insisting on stopping
the sending of gasoline to the
Israeli island on Scopus.
The Jordanians also asked
for the removal of Col. Byron
Leary, Acting Chief of Staff of
the UN Supervisory Organiza-
tion, but UN Secretary General
Dag Hammarskjold expressed
confidence in Leary.
Three Israelis were slain by
Jordanians in the past week,
and the tenseness of the situa-
tion is being recognized by
Israel, whose Cabinet meets
constantly to discuss the crisis.
At the same time, the Israel-
Syrian conflict has become
more serious, and Israel has
asked for an emergency meet-
ing of the Israel-Syrian Mixed
Armistice Commission to dis-
cuss the Syrian slaying of an
Israel tractor driver.
The slain tractor driver was
Joseph Benchaim, 30, of Shaar
Yashuv who was injured when
Syrians on a fortification near.
Tel Azaziat opened fire on a
group of men who had started
land reclamation work for the
Jewish National Fund on the
slopes of Tel Azaziat. Benchaim
was extricated under fire and
taken to the hospital where he
died shortly after arrival.
The armistice commission met
10 days ago on a similar inci-
dent and an informal under-
standing was reached and an-
nounced by the commission
chairman permitting civili a n
work even in demilitarized areas
and committing both countries
to avoiding the use of force
along the border.
Col. Leary filed a report on
the Jordanian complaint several
weeks ago. The second report,
dealing with the Israel griev-
ances, made these points:
1. In regard to the special
committee proposed in the arm-
istice agreement, "Israel is en-
titled" to request the implemen-
tation of that clause "as an
agreed solution of problems to
which either party attaches
great importance would help in
relaxing tensions between the
two countries."
2. On Israel's second corn-
plaint, which concerns Jordan's
failure to implement the first
article of the armistice agree-
ment providing that the armis-
tice pact should be turned into
peace talks, Col. Leary said the
TSO "can do little to secure
implementation."
ated by a series of Jordanian
provocations.
King Hussein of Jordan, it is
believed in J e r u s ale m, has
staked his personal prestige on
this issue, and Jordan has for-
mally called upon the United
Nations to recall Col. Leary for
his alleged refusal to cooperate
with the Amman government.
Israel insists that, in accordance
with the 1949 Armistice agree-
ment providing for. the right to
supply civilian needs to the per-
sonnel on Mt. Scopus, the con-
voy must go through with its
full load, including gasoline for
fuel which Jordan wants to bar.
Now that Secretary General
Dag Hammarskjold has rejected
Amman's demand that Leary be
recalled, the UN itself is a party
to this disagreement, transform- .
ing it into a three-ply crisis in-
volving Jordan, Israel and the
United Nations.
The situation has been aggra-
vated still further by informa-
tion reaching Israel from reli-
able sources to the effect that
Jordan has announced it would
pay premiums to Jordanians
who bring in Israelis kidnapped
across the border. This "prize"
policy explains the increase of
acts of kidnapping in recent
days. The latest Israeli missing
is a young man who, it was
thought at first, may have
crossed the Jordanian border
inadvertently; now it is feared
he may have been deliberately
kidnapped.
Israel is making no secret of
the seriousness with which it
views the present situation. At
first, it was thought that Israel
only had to negotiate with Jor-
dan about the nine barrels of
gasoline barred from the latest
convoy.
Israel was willing to discuss
the Mt. Scopus arrangements
afresh with Jordan in an effort
to solve that problem of the
gasoline. However, it is felt that
Israel should discuss Mt. Scopus
only in the context of the gen-
eral situation, which involves
Jordan's continued refusal since
1949 to implement the Jordan-
Israel Armistice Agreement.
Israel now feels that the latest
series of Jordanian incidents
represent a deliberate pattern
of provocation, planned primar-
ily to show Egypt and Syria
that Jordan is still anti-Israel.
Despite grave doubts, Israel
had tried to move in a concili-
atory, direction, for instance,
suspending its afforestation
work in the area between the
demarcation lines south of Jeru-
salem: Now, however, such mild
conciliations will not satisfy
King Hussein's desire to show
"toughness" toward Israel.
In the presence of United Na-
tions observers, Jordan turned
over to Israel the bodies of two
Israelis killed recently by Jor-
danians. The transfer of the cof-
fins took place near Elath,
whence they were flown to this
city for identification.
UN Secretary Goes to
on the other. In Cairo Ham-
marskjold must talk to Egyptian
leaders not only about the con-
tinuing crisis involving the UN
Emergency Force but also about
the Suez Canal. The Canal issue
was scheduled to come for de-
bate before the Plenary Ses-
sion of the General Assembly
Dec. 9. That is why Hammar-
skjold set a deadline for his re-
turn from the Middle East for
Dec. 8. Another reason for re-
turning not later than that date
was understood to be that King
Muhammed V of Morocco is
planning to visit the UN for-
mally on Dec. 9.
While in the Middle East, the
UN official cannot afford to by-
pass Israel again as he did on
one of his trips last year. On
that occasion he had to mend
his fences by following up with
a special trip to the Middle East
for the purpose of conferring
with Prime Minister Ben-Gurion.
The details of Hammarskjold's
expected stopover in Israel were
being discussed with the Israel
'delegation here, it was learned
Tuesday. The Secretariat, how-
ever, was saying nothing about
such plans, while the Israel del-
egation was even more tight-
lipped on the subject than -UN
officials.
Israel's D e p u t y Permanent
Representative Mordecai R. Ki-
dron_ was called for a confer-
ence by the Secretary General
Monday morning and was told
that an official announcement if Jordan persists on barring
about the trip to the Middle
East would be issued during the
day. Kidron kept the secret.
Before Hammarskjold leavcss
he was to confer here Thursday
with Egypt's Foreign Minister
Mahmoud Fawzi, who is enroute
to the UN. There is the possi-
bility that Maj. Gen. G. L. M.
Burns, commander of UNEF and
the man in whose stead Col.
Leary is acting currently, may
accompany Hammarskjold on
the trip. Some diplomats here
felt that way out of the dilemma
of the Jordanian squabble would
be simply to let Gen. Burns of-
ficially return to the post of
TSA chief of staff, while pos-
sibly retaining his position as
UNEF commander.
While Hammarskjold's Middle
East plans was the principal
topic of discussion here Tues-
day, these talks were proceed-
ing behind-the-scenes. Only one
Middle East item was officially
on the agenda of any of the
open sessions here Tuesday—
the problem of the Arab ref-
ugees which has been under de-
bate in the General Assembly's
special political committee since
Nov. 18. Israel was scheduled
to voice its Arab Refugee policy
in that committee Wednesday
afternoon.
(From Jerusalem it was re-
ported that the 85 Israeli police-
men and 35 civilians atop Mt.
Scopus have supplies sufficient
only to last them a few days.
Rations will "run short" for the
men very soon, the report stated
the Israeli convoy.)
Israel Ambassador Abba Eban
called on UN Secretary General
Hammarskjold and requested
him to use the full measure of
UN influence to obtain Jordan's
compliance on the passing of
Israel's convoy to Mt. Scopus.
6th Saudi Arabian Attack
Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y. —
Saudi Arabia has for the sixth
time in the last two months corn-
plained to the Security Council
about -alleged Israel military
aircraft flights over Saudi Ara-
bian territory in the Gulf of
Aqaba region. -
In Tuesday's letter to the
Council, signed by Ahmad Shuk-
ary, Saudi Arabia alleged that
Israel overflights on Nov. 14 oc-
curred over Saudi military posi-
tions and that the Israel plane
"was made•to withdraw."
"It is needless to state," Shuk-
ary wrote, "that this new Israel
violation is but a continuation
of the provocation by Israel au-
thorities against Saudi Arabia's
territorial integrity." He threat-
ened in his letter that in retali-
ation his government intended
"to undertake in appropriate
manner whatever measures it
deems suitable to safeguard its
interests." Israel had replied to
previous • complaints by calling
them fabrications.
The latest complaint like the
prior ones did not ask for any
Security Council action.
HANUKAH...and ALL YEAR 'ROUND
Keep Your Friends and Relatives Fully
Informed on Happenings in Jewish
Communities Everywhere
3. Israel's third complaint
concerned Jordan's refusal to
attend a conference at which
Jordan and Israel might dis-
cuss the armistice problems in
general. Col. Leary merely re-
ported that Israel specifically
requested such a conference
exactly four years ago, that
the Security Council agreed
such a conference should be
held and that Jordan "de-
clined to attend such a con- Jordan "to Exchange Views"
UNITED NATIONS (JTA) —
ference."
UN Secretary General Hammar-
A five-point program calling skjold will leave today for Am-
not only for the repatriation of man, capital of Jordan, to ex-
all Arab refugees into Israel but change views with the govern-
also for the virtual dismember-
ment of the Jewish State and
world-wide prohibition of any
aid to the Israelis was laid be-
fore the UN General „Assembly
by Saudi Arabia.
Ahmad Shukairy, Saudi Ara-
bia's Minister of State for United
Nations Affairs, voiced the pro-
posals before the Assembly's
special political committee.
The Saudi' Arabian represen-
tative's proposed plan is based
on the following points: "1. The
repatriation of the Palestine ref-
ugees; 2. Prohibition of Jewish
immigration into Palestine; 3.
Outlawing Zionism; 4. The pro-
hibition of Zionist fund-raising
campaigns, and 5. The creation
of a United Nations agency to
help the Jews of Israel to be
repatriated to their f or m e r
homelands."
Col. Leary called on Prime
Minister David Ben-Gurion and
Foreign Minister Golda Meir to
discuss the grave situation cre-
ment of Jordan in connection
with the Jordan-Israel develop-
ments.
Hammarskjold will undoubt-
edly visit Israel on his new
peace mission to the Middle
East. Most urgent places for
him, however, were understood
to be Amman, capital of Jordan,
and Cairo. In Amman he faces
the delicate problem of persuad-
ing King Hussein's government
to back down on its request for
removal of Col. Byron V. Leary.
Hammarskjold, who had already
anounced he had complete con-
fidence in Col. Leary's imparti-
ality, could not possibly afford
to dismiss the head of TSO at
the request of any Middle East
government lest TSO's authority
collapse entirely.
Hammarskjold will make an-
other effort on this trip, it was
reported, to shore up the UN
armistice arrangements between
Israel on the one hand and Jor-
dan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt
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