Purely Commentary .
Israeli
Negotiations with Arabs on Island of
Rhodes . . . Negro Leader Whitney
Young Moved by Progress in Israel
Facts Relating to the Direct
By Philip
Slomovitz
r Confusion Worse Confounded Over the Negotiations at Rhodes:
Are Drug Addiction Reports Exaggerated?
The Fact Is: Jews and Arabs DID Negotiate There Face to Face
Perhaps the reports about drug addictions and the sex maniacs are
Lack of information often leads to such confusion that deliberations that could lead to peace are often
really exaggerated.
We are intrigued by a report included in a University of Michigan distorted to such a degree that they can lead to conflict bordering on tragedy.
survey
shows
that
students
M
This is the case with the history of the armistice that was resolved on the Island of Rhodes in 1949.
Mass Media Memo which states that a U
on the Ann Arbor campus - are' curious about drugs, but not heavy
Dr. Ralph Buche was the negotiator and he should have been the one to set the record straight. Didn't
users."
he win the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts at that historic event?
This very interesting report shows:
Nevertheless commentators continued all week to speak in terms of Israelis and Arabs having spoken
"Marijuana excepted, roughly eight out of 10 Michigan students
have never tried a non-medically-prescribed narcotic, amphetamine, through a third party.
tranquilizer or hallucinogen. Well under one per cent of the student
THIS IS NOT TRUE!
population uses such drugs regularly."
The facts are a matter of record and we must try to set it straight.
Another encouraging factor in this report points to a desire to learn.
Some references to the basic truths already have been made in our columns. There is a history to the
An interest in acquiring information has been displayed, as indicated
Rhodes
matter that must be made known. When Egypt's Foreign Minister Mahmoud Riad spoke of talks to
in this portion of the U-M Mass Media Memo:
"Interest in factual information about drug usage is made evi- "take the form of those at Rhodes" the false impression of indirectness was created. The American press
dent by the survey. Slightly more than 80 per cent of all students was charged with spreading "falsehoods" by Nasser's spokesman in Cairo, who went so far as to state:
"Those organs only reveal their nature as organs upholding and siding with Zionism and Israel and
say there is a need for campus drug education programs.
Does all of this prove that the distressing manifestations related to nurturing the cherished hope of Israel, namely direct negotiations with the Arabs—a hope that will never
-
drug addictions and to sex abuses are exaggerated? No doubt the an- come true."
But Israel Prime Minister Golda Meir immediately made known Israel's position by declaring:
swer will depend on who is asked. The eight out of 10 non-hallucinized
"Israel has declared and now reiterates that Israeli representatives will meet Egyptian representa-
may be just the ones to set most of us at ease.
*
fives in direct negotiations at any time, at any place and without preconditions. If the Egyptian govern-
*
*
meat is ready for such negotiations, they can take place forthwith."
Whitney Young's Lessons From Israel
However, the approach to the lie was in evidence when Riad explained to reporters at the UN that his
Whitney M. Young, Jr., the distinguished Negro leader, brought
back interesting observations from Israel with timely advice for Amer- "allusion to the possibility of the type of negotiations that took place on Rhodes twenty years ago meant
what
is now transpiring in the indirect contacts between the parties to the Middle East conflict through
ica and Americans.
He points out, for example, that the popular myths among Ameri- United Nations representative Gunnar Jarring" (as quoted in Washington Post, Sept. 26). The New York
cans is that because so much must be spent for defense we cannot Times quoted Riad: "During armistice talks on the island of Rhodes in 1948 and 1949 the principals had no
afford to finance new programs to end poverty and to aspire towards a direct contact, dealing only through Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, the United Nations mediator. 'We are doing here
more equal society. But in Israel, the relatively poor country, which exactly the same thing we did in Rhodes.'" (Sept. 26).
has to spend an even greater portion of its national wealth on defense,
What about the Rhodes Negotiation Formula? What actually happened at Rhodes?
three wars and harassment by hostile neighbors have not interfered
An historian who has gathered the facts outlines the case as it actually developed as follows:
with "the deep commitment of the top Israeli officials to develop that
On Nov. 16, 1948, the UN Security Council, which for six months had confined itself to orders for cease-
country's human resources."
Young points to the progress made by Israel in education and fire and truce, decided "that in order to eliminate the threat to peace in Palestine and to facilitate the
his observations deserve serious attention by those who strive for cul- transition from the present truce to permanent peace, an armistice shall be established in all sectors of
tural advances. Here's the story he brought from Israel: Palestine." It called upon the parties directly involved in the conflict to seek agreement with a view to the
"The Israelis see, as too few Americans do, that good schools immediate establishment of an armistice as a preliminary to peace.
and superior education can erase social inequalities. So they are
The fighting on the Egyptian-Israeli front ended on Jan. 9, 1949. Five days later negotiations began at
taking special steps to insure that children from poorer families Rhodes, a location conveniently neutral and within easy distance of Israel and Egypt alike.
get special, more than equal, schooling to compensate for their less
Dr. Ralph Bunche, the acting mediator, and his his staff set up headquarters and living accommodations
favored backgrounds.
us. for the delegations in a wing of the Hotel des Roses. Israel occupied the larger part of one floor, and Egypt
"The way they are going about this has some lessons for ical the floor immediately above. It was a convenient arrangement since all the parties were under one roof,
Too often such compensatory education just becomes a polit
football here in America, with the real issues obscured by fights yet each enjoyed privacy.
The delegations came with the declared purpose and authority to negotiate an armistice agreement,
about bussing or other schemes.
to
"What the Israelis are doing is to quietly saturate schools in a fact made clear in their own pronouncements and officially and publicly transmitted by Dr. Bunche
12, 1949), to the secretary general, the acting
poor neighborhoods with special services. Students attending such the UN secretary general. In his cable from Rhodes, (Jan.
schools start earlier, with compulsory kindergarten, and must stay mediator reported:
in school longer, about two years more than children going to other
"Both delegations are empowered to negotiate, conclude and initial an armistice agreement, subject
to its final ratification by their respective governments." (UN Security Council document, s/1205,
schools.
"The teachers are, of course, paid extra for their extra time,
13, 1949.)
and their anion backs the program. Most teachers accept the fact Dr. Bunche reported further:
wel-
society,
and
they
that they play a key role in this developing
"I have today met each delegation separately and discussed with them questions of procedure and
come the chance to develop the talents of their students. They lack
agenda for subsequent joint discussion. I shall hold meetings with each delegation tomorrow morning,
the "combat" mentality of too many American teachers in slum
Jan.
13, and the first joint meeting under United Nations chairmanship Is fixed for 3:30 p.m. on the
schools.
same day. These preliminary meetings have been encouraging in that both delegations : have evinced
"I couldn't help thinking that in Israel it is accepted that you
a sincere desire for a meaingful outcome of the discussions and readiness to reach with us as little
can take 28 people from different cultures, all speaking different
delay as possible discussion on substantive matters." (UN Security Council document S/1205, January
languages, and teach them. Here in America it takes an immense
13, 1949).
effort simply to convince people that middle class white children
and poor black children can be taught in the same classroom."
On the following day, the acting mediator dispatched a further cable to the UN secretary general,
Young relates equally interestingly his impressions of the way describing the first joint meeting:
in which integration is attained in Israel. On tolerance he says:
"This afternoon, Jan. 13, the first joint meeting was held. At this meeting the delegations were
"Tolerance toward Arabs also surprised me. One would think
introduced. On the formal request of both delegations I assumed the role of chairman of the meetings.
Arab
states
whose
guerrillas
The heads of the two delegations each made a formal declaration of his government's desire for the
that a nation surrounded by hostile
establishment of an armistice and pledging his delegation to work persistently and in a spirit of con-
inflict daily casualties on troops and civilians would develop deep
ciliation towards that end. The agenda for further discussion is sufficiently broad to cover outstanding
hatred for the enemy.
points with regard to the implementation of the resolutions of 9th and 16th November. Meetings will
"But it is not so, generally. A top Army general explained it to
now proceed on the substantive items on three levels as follows:
me. 'I don't want my children to hate,' he said.
net
Israel's
brilliant
and
1. Preliminary discussions separately with each delegation;
"The subject came up again when I
charming Prime Minister, Mrs. Golda Meir. An American suggested
2. Informal meetings between heads of delegations and United Nations;
to her that Arabs were lazy and incapable of learning modern
3. Joint formal meetings of the two delegations.
techniques—the same lies that many people assert about Negroes.
The conciliatory spirit of both parties and the progress made in matters of procedure continue to
"Mrs. Meir was visibly annoyed, but she answered in a very
inspire hope for successful results." (UN SC document S/1209, January 13, 1949).
lady-like way that no, you can't say a people are lazy. It's a matter
of opportunity and education, she said, and she told of the efforts
This first joint meeting referred to in Dr. Bunche's cable took place in the acting mediator's sitting
Israel is making to motivate its Arab population and open new room with the representatives of Israel and Egypt grouped on chairs to the right and left of him respect.-
opportunities for them. In her own quiet way, she exploded the lively. At first, the Egyptians insisted on addressing their remarks to Dr. Bunche, but it was not long
myths and generalizations that are part and parcel of racist before the delegations were arguing with one another directly in English and French.
thought.
The three methods of procedure referred to by Dr. Bunche—separate meetings, informal talks, and
"Israel also has some concert lessons for us. Its agricultural joint formal meetings—took place simultaneously, the joint exchanges being held invariably, around a angle
cooperatives might be used as example for solving the problems of table.
the rural South....
In the course of the six weeks the Egyptian and Israeli delegations spent together at the Hotel des
"Israel is also dotted with new cities. Planners carefully ar- ' Roses, relations between them became increasingly cordial. On the evening the armistice agreement was
ranged for the settlement of new immigrants in new towns. I visited signed, February 14, 1949, Dr. Bunche gave a party, described by observers as "gay." The Egyptians had
one, Kyriat Gat, one the edge of the Negev. It's a bustling com- sent a special plane from Cairo with delicacies from the famed Groppi's.
munity, specially designed to intergrate newcomers into Israeli life.
The general feeling at Rhodes was that the armistice had not only brought the fighting phase to a
If a small country can do this, why can't we, with our vast open formal end, but bad laid the foundations of normal relations between the two countries. The agreement
spaces, plan for new towns to absorb our growing population? We with Egypt was negotiated on the assumption that its place would soon be taken by a treaty of peace.
have more money, more planners, more industry than Israel has. Article I, paragraph four of the agreement stated:
But they are experimenting, while we are stuck in a rut. Why?
"The establishment of an armistice between the armed forces of the two parties is accepted as an
"Perhaps the answer lies in the pioneering spirit, the nation-
indispensable step toward the liquidation of armed conflict and the restoration of peace in Palestine."
building spirit of adventure that was once so strong in America,
It was as much a political as a military instrument and was accepted as such from the start by both
but now seems smothered by affluence and social disinterest. If
Israel has anything to teach us, it may be that this spirit must be sides. This was reflected, inter alia, in the composition of the delegations, each of which consisted of
political
and military officers.
recaptured, and that our resources must be used to develop our
own human potentials to create an equal tociety."
Agreements of a similar kind were drawn up shortlythereafter between Israel and Jordan, Lebanon and
These, indeed, are great lessons for America. They are enlightening Syria respectively.
reminders to Jews whose activities are linked with Israel's to appre-
All that has been recorded here is a matter of history, they are facts that refute the Riad claim at
ciate that they are contributing towards the building of a highly "Rhodes-type indirect talks."
advanced society. The fulfillment of prophetic dreams leading towards
Why can't researchers who usually perform so well gather the true facts for broadcasters, for news
the elimination of want, bigotry, hatred and warfare is represented in analysts
,for editorial writers?
the dream of Israel stemming from the Zionist idea.
Primarily it is vital that we should be informed why Dr. Bunche, the chief negotiator in 1949, has not
spoken? It's not too late, Dr. Bunche, to set the record stragiht so that the lie may be exposed.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
2 Friday, October 17, 1969
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