Jerusalem Retains Historic Role as City of David;
Vatican's Antagonism to Israel's Position Traced
There is rejoicing in the unified salem was our own when London
city of Jerusalem. Last Friday's was a marsh. He said: That is
New York Times report from Jeru- true."
• • •
salem, cabled by James Feron, was
Basic facts regarding the UN
headlined: "Arabs and Israelis
actions
in
1948
on the international.
Mingle Gaily in United Jeru-
salem." The union of the two ization of Jerusalem are contained
seperated sections of what was and in an important book by an Israeli
is again a single city became. be- Orthodox Jew, Pinhas Lapide, a
cause of the general rejoicing native Canadian and a former
among Arabs as well as Jews, "the I s r a el government diplomatic
greatest carnival," as the rejoicing official who knew Popes Pius XII
was described by Mayor Teddy and John XXXIII as well as Pope
Paul VI when he was Cardinal
Kollek.
The naturalness of the reunion Montini.
In "Three Popes and the Jews,"
of a splintered city, the assurance
of absolute freedom for all reli- published by Hawthorn Books (70
Fifth,
NY11), Lapide exonerates
gions, contrary to all previous
policies which must place King Pius XII of charges made against
him
in
"The Deputy" and in other
Hussein of Jordan in the ranks
of Israel's enemies and in the hooks. Papide's book has special
cabal of plotters to destroy Israel merit for its review of the debates
—all the basic facts relating to over Jerusalem, and the actions
the developments involving Israel of the UN.
In a major recapitulation of the
in the struggle for a just peace
must induce all liberty-loving peo- events Lapide presents the follow-
ple everywhere to stand by Israel ing facts:
in the current international in- j "In December 1952, the UN Gen-
volvements. eral Assembly rejected an amend-
Issues relating to Jerusalem j ment by the Phillippines which
serve to reconstruct situations sought to reinstate the principle
akin to the present when, 19 years of Jerusalem's international status.
ago, the Vatican was advocating and since that time the question
Jerusalem's internationalization. has not been on the UN agenda,
The issue came to naught when "As if to demonstrate the
Israel held on to the New City. absence of any ill will at the
built by Jews. defended by Jews, Vatican. a few weeks after the
here there are only two holy last unsuccessful Catholic attempt
places — the Dormitian Church , to in t erna tioni Zr Jerusalem
which Jordanians damaged three through the UN, a prince of the
weeks ago- by shell fire, and Church, the first one of his rank
David's Tomb on Mount Zion: and to do so, visited Israel on January
the Old City was acquired by 27, 1953. Cardinal Crisanto Luque,
Jordan. Debates subsided and in of Colombia, was soon followed by
the Old City, with its vast number a number of archbishops and
of churches and synagogues, re- , bishops, and by a steady stream
mained in a state of chaos. Jews of other Catholic pilgrims.
were denied access to the Western "The Vatican, however, still per-
Wall of the Temple, synagogues sisted in its uncompromising atti-
were desecrated and some des- tude, influencing first and foremost
troyed Church services were at such Catholic states as Belgium,
the mercy of Jordanian rulers.
France and most of Latin America,
but also, in a smaller degree, the
• • •
The role of Jerusalem as the entire Western world. Thus, the
Holy city of the Jewish people, as Holy See used its influence to dis-
the City of David, as the City of suade several countries from
Peace — Tr-Shalom — Jeru-salem having their ambassadors present
— has never been questioned, ex. their credentials to Israel's Presi-
cept in recent years when the de- dent in Jerusalem, and insisted
mand has been pressed for its that all Catholic nations locate
internationalization. There was their diplomatic missions in the
that demand in 1948. When the Tel Aviv area, lest diplomatic resi-
division of the city became a fait dence in the capital be considered
accompli, and Jordan took posses- a de facto recognition of the pres-
sion of the Old City, the cry for ent status.
"The coup de grace to the 1947
internationalization stopped. Now,
it is properly asked, why is it Resolution was administered by
raised again when there was no the Kingdom of Jordan, which
demand for it under Jordanian rule holds the Old City of Jerusalem,
which truly denied religious free- Bethlehem. and over a dozen
dom to Jews and also to others? Christian holy places (as against
• • •
two in Israel), and has from the
In her historical account of the very beginning staunchly opposed
life and activities of her uncle, any scheme that would lessen its
Arthur James Balfour, who author- hold on them. To cite only two
ed the historic Balfour Declarathin, examples: In April 1950, Israel
agreed to negotiate on the basis
Blanche E. Dugdale wrote:
The firSt meeting between Bal- of the UN from all Arab states —
four and Dr. Chaim Weizmann was except Jordan. It was indeed Jor-
a prelude to the Balfour Declara- dan's opposition, more than Israel's
tion of 1917. This was in 1906. that prevented the implementation
Balfour was anxious to fathom the of the enclave scheme,
"Meanwhile, in UN circles it
reasons of the Zionist attitude to
the "Uganda offer." (The East was pointed out that there was
African territory of Uganda was strong evidence that an intet-
ofered the Jews by Britain in 1903). national regime of the kind tran-
He was told there was at that siently envisaged by the General
moment one of the younger leaders Assembly would not be workable.
of the Zionist Movement, a Russian Such regimes in other parts of the
Jew. Chaim Weizmann, by name, world — Danzig, Trieste, the Saar
who had recently settled in Eng- — had provoked more international
land and held a post as lecturer conflict than which they had been
in organic chemistry at the Vic- created to pacify. The difficulties
toria University. He asked one would be almost insurmountable
of his Jewish friends to arrange in the case of Jerusalem, which
an interview with Weitzmann who was landlocked and wedged be-
described to me (Blanche Dugdale) tween two states not yet at peace.
As time went by, other factors
his conversation with Balfour.
". . . I began to sweat blood to helped to change the picture. The
make my meaning clear through Israeli Government, at its own ex-
my English. At the very end I pense, had carried out through re•
made an effort. I had an idea. pairs to most Christian religious
I said: Mr. Balloter, if you were buildings damaged by enemy ac-
offered Paris instead of London, tion. It assumed full and effective
would you take it? Would you take responsibility for the security of
Paris instead of London? He all holy places within its territory,
looked surprised. He said: But and ensured free access and tin-
London is our own. I said: Jeru- hindered worship to an annually
I
32 Friday, July 7, 1967
—
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
growing influx of Christian pil-
grims who are freely afforded the
opportunity to cross into Jordan
to pray in the Old City and Beth.
lehem.
"On the other hand, no Jews
are allowed to visit the Wailing
Wall, the Tomb of Rachel, the
Caves of Machpelah, and the an.
Mount of Olives, since they lie
within the area Jerusalem con-
trolled by Jordan, which quickly
repudiated its concession in the
Armistice Agreement 'to allow
free access by Jews to their holy
sites and to worship in liberity
throughout the Lands of the Bible
are the Jews.
"A growing realization of these
facts has already prompted
eighteen countries — including
Catholic Guatemala, Colombia,
Panama, Uruguary, Costa Rica
and Venezuela — to move their
embassies to Jerusalem, where,
since 1956, all foreign heads of
missions have presented their cre-
dentials. Three more countries are
at present about to open embassies
in the Israeli Capital.
"In Jerusalem it is appreciated
that bonds sacred to 950 million
Christians will continue to influ-
ence Vatican policy for some time
to come. In Rome, meanwhile,
biblical scholars have pointed out
that no less than twenty-seven
scriptural prophecies foretell the
return of the Jews to David's cita-
del, and at least four of these link
"the return to Zion" to the salva-
tion of mankind. Both attitudes
are instrumental in gradually
bridging the gap between the Holy
City and the Eternal City. By 1967,
most Israeli Government offices
and national institutions had been
transferred to Jerusalem, making
it again into the spiritual and
political capital of the Jewish state.
The de facto partition of the City,
and joint opposition to any kind
of international regime, remain to
date the only points on which Israel
and Jordan see eye to eye. One
of the factors which gives both
sections of the "City of Peace"
a vested interest in keeping their
cold war from growing hot, is the
growing influx of Christian pilgrim-
ages. Stimulated by the papal visit
of 1964, myriads of Christians now
follow in the footsteps of Pope
Paul VI. However, only bona fide
Christians, diplomats and UN truce
observers are allowed by the Arabs
to cross into Jordan via the Man-
delbaum Gate — the only point of
contact along Israel's 590 miles of
hostile border.
"If Jesus Christ were to return
today, a Protestant pastor wrote
on Christmas Day, 1965, the Jor-
danians wouldn't let him pray at
the Wailing Wall — which, by pres-
en Arab rules and regulations, is
unfortunately true. This discrimin-
ation today is most regrettable —
but still far better than the fate
which the Galilean and his mother
could have expected in Christian
Europe twenty-five years ago: a
one-way ticket to Auschwitz."
• • •
Commencing its report on
try to acquire installations in Alex-
andria. Egypt; Latakia. Syria; Algeria
and on the Red Sea.
Rough Treatment for Soviet Jews
Russia's 3 million Jews are being
caught in an anti-Semitic backlash from
the Soviet debacle in the Middle East.
A high officials recently returned from
the U.S.S.R. says the Soviet press has
started a campaign of vituperation
against Israel. At the same time, the
government has stoped Jewish emigra-
tion to Israel, and Soviet universities
have expelled some Jewish students.
A U.S. Look at Soviet Hardware
U.S. military attaches are getting a
first-hand look at Soviet equipment re-
cently captured by the Israelis. Of
special interest is the SA-2 anti-aircraft
missile — the same SAM weapon used
by the North Vietnamese. Fourteen
new SAM's were captured Intact on
their launchers along with their guid-
ance and control vans. Attaches would
like to inspect the Egyptians' Soviet-
built SU-7 jet, a 1,000-mph, heavily
armed plane that is even more advanced
than the MIG-21. None has showed
up yet in Israeli hands.
Jordan River: A Parting of the Waters
McGeorge Bundy, called in by the
White House to head a task force on
possible peaceful solutions to the Mid-
east situation, may be leaning toward
some kind of regional economic-develop-
ment scheme. The idea: to make it
profitable for both Arabs and Israelis
to bury their mutual animosities. Ac-
cording to a high U.S. government ad-
visor, one approach under consideration
involves the division of the Jordan
River and its tributaries among Jordan,
Syria, Lebanon and Israel. The Sea of
Galilee would also be used as a water
bank for Jordan and Israel. The plan
is a variation of a 1954 proposal put
forth by Eric Johnson at the behest of
the U.S. Both Arabs and Israelis re-
garded the 1954 plan as a sound way
to irrigate arid stretches of land, but
the Arabs refused on political grounds
to recognize Israel's right to any water
at all. The U.S. may once again be
prepared to sweeten the water plan
with an offer of money.
4. • •
Life Magazine, editorially, in its
June 30 issue, under the title
"What Not to Expect From the
UN," stated:
"If there were no UN, the ex-
pectable consequence of the latest
Israeli victory would be immediate
negotiations between the defeated
Arab governments and the victors.
As matters stand, a vindictive and
futile UN debate absorbs the politi-
cal energies of the contestants, dis-
tracting them from the realities of
the future."
•
Many newspapers, which upon
outbreak of the Middle East con-
flict defended Israel, have made an
about-face.
Toronto Star. Windsor Star and
some others are among the anta-
gonistic in Canada, but the Toronto
Telegram retains a friendly atti-
tude. It showed a cartoon depict-
ing a card game between Dayan
and Nasser, all the winning chips
on Dayan's side and Nasser crying:
"You realize, of course, that we
weren't playing for keeps . . ."
Accompanying this cartoon is an
editorial on "Jerusalem's Future"
which concludes by stating:
"The whole concept of Jerusalem
as an international city is illogical.
"If Jerusalem, why not Bethle-
hem? Isn't the ground there just
as sacred? And how about Naza-
reth, Mount Beatitude, Mount Car-
mel, Mount Tabor, the Sta of Gali-
lee?
"All of Israel's territory plus the
Jordan River's west bank are re-
garded by the three faiths as holy
Hussein, undoubtedly fearing for
his throne and his very life, yields
to Nasser's pressures. He yielded
to the UAR when he attacked
Israel, against Abba Eban's advice
that he stay out of the war and
keep peace with Israel. He is yeild-
ing now, fearing, it seems, the
fate of his grandfather, King Ab-
dullah, who was assassinated just
before he was to make peace with
Israel. Why are Christians who
should know better kowtowing to
this type of hypocrisy by a de-
feated monarch?
*
The Christian Science Monitor,
usually objective and fair, has
followed a line that could well be
interpreted as distoring facts and
siding with the Arabs, ignoring the
dangerous position in which Israel
was placed by Arabs arming to
destroy people and state. In an
editorial (July 1) entitled "City of
Peace?", the Monitor offers a sop
to Israel by granting Jews the
right to "holy spots within Arab
Jerusalem," stating this can not
be attained the way Israel "sought
to correct' it" — meaning previous
denials — and commended the U.S.
position. The editorial concluded
by indicating "an important step
toward peace" if Hussein "can re-
turn to Amman convinced that
Washington's eyes and ears are
open to Arab views." Haven't
they been open to Amman before,
and hasn't the U.S. made possible
the war threats by arming Hussein
to the teeth, just as the USSR
armed the UAR and Syria to the
teeth? And since when is a right
to worship dependent upon an
"Arab Jerusalem?" This designa-
tion by the Monitor smacks of such
a prejudicial attitude that there
is cause for resentment.
▪ • •
Toronto Daily Star has published
a puzzling editorial about Canada's
willingness to welcome the Arab
refugees. It commences with the
usual exaggeration—about 800,000
Arabs having left Israel in 1948.
The actual number was between
400,000 and 500,000. These exag-
gerations continue to blur the Mid-
dle East picture and to create
antagonisms against Israel.
• s •
One of the most offensive anti-
Israel editorials appeared last Mon-
day in the National Observer
(published by Dow Janes & Co.).
Basing its attack on the SS Liberty
tragedy which is still under in-
vestigation, and which has drawn
an apology from the Israel govern-
ment that has been accepted by the
U.S., the National Observer edi-
torial talked about "Blind or
Trigger-Happy?" attitudes and re-
sorted to a phrase like this one:
"Suddenly, Israel was the good
little guy — the David — and Arab
countries the big bullies. —
Goliath." Few editorials that have
suddenly adopted an anti-Israel at-
titude approach the anti-Semitic
goal as this one does.
• • •
The record vis-a-vis Israel may
land with shrines dotting the land-
scape.
-
"If a special principle applies to
Jerusalem, it should aply to all of become clearer as time goes on.
"Arabs in Disaray," Newsweek what was once Bibical Palestine. The fiasco at the UN may or may
"But nobody suggests the whole not spell the doom of the world
last week stated:
" `Death means paradise, victory of this territory be international organization, but its necessity re-
mains and only when the art of
soil.
means pillage — and defeat means
"Premier Eshkol's government lying — which has been a basis
only the chance to try again.' So
goes the ancient war cry of the pledges free access to all holy for most of the attacks on Israel-
is abandoned by diplomats. When
prophet, Mohammed, and last places to members of all religions.
there is fair play and adherence
week, with Israeli armor sitting This is as reasonable and fair a
to truth, even the presently crip-
astride vast tracts of Egypt, Jor- solution as anyone has so far de-
pled
UN, whose status has not
vised."
dan and Syria, Arab leaders
• • •
been helped by U Thant, will be-
throughout the Middle East seemed
come
the force for peace it should
There are many inconsistencies
publicly determined to follow
be in a world menaced by wars
Mohammed's f ormula to the in the handling of the UN debates.
For example, the Christian Science and hatreds.
letter."
The most unsavory role in the
Newsweek's Periscope reported Monitor, on June 29, stated editori-
Jerusalem involvement is the Vati-
the following important develop- ally: "King Hussein of Jordan out
can's.
It failed to protect Jewry's
ments relating to the Middle East his country's case in the UN Gen-
eral Assembly with dignity and status, it is blind to the reality
Crisis:
measure." But in the very same that Israel will provide the assur-
Russian Aims in the Mediterranean
What's behind the Soviet fleet's pres- issue the report from Washington ance of religious freedom for ali-
ence in the Mediterranean? Pentagon
by
its correspondent, David K. as she has provided such freedoms
officials say the Soviet warships re-
naval power. What the Soviet Union
Willis, declared: "King Hussein's within Israel, for 19 years. If a
cently deployed from the Black Sea
speech
in the General Assembly new ecumenism is needed it may
are not intended to challenge U.S.
needs to bolster her sea strength in the
was harsher than many officials have to be provided by forces other
Nliddle East, these officials point out.
— P. S.
than the Vatican,
are bases, and they believe Russia may expected."