Evening star., 1947-10-04
DepeRdiHY oil the Big Two

Now that official Arab and jewish
spokesmen have formally submitted their
diametrically opposed views to the General
Assembly, the debate over Palestine Is
entdhv upon it's Huh-dress stage within
the United Nations. The chief significance
of this is that 1t will almost certainly force
the United States and the Soviet Union
KEY powers In the situation-to state IN
unequivocal terms whether they favor par
tition or not and what positions they Will
take If such a settlement requires the use
of international force.
AS matters stand today, two proposals
have been made to the United Nations by
It's Special Committee on Palestine. The
committee is unanimously agreed only on
general principles recommending that the
British mandate be ended and independ-
ence established as soon as possible Other
wise, as far as concrete measures are con-
cerned, there is sharp division. The
minority favors a federated Arab-JeWish
state under a central government, and
the majority favors partitioning to create
a sovereign Jewish state and sovereign
Arab state, economically united but po-
ltically separate from each other.
The Arab position-just emphasized by
a general strike in the Holy Lands one
of bitter opposition to both proposals. This
opposition carries with it the threat of all
out physical resistance and complete
economic and cultural break" with West
ern Europe and America If either plan is
adopted On the other hand, the Zionist
leadership is fatty against the minority
proposal but finds the majority one &C
ceptable Further, discounting the Arab
threat as bluff it declares it will have
an army ready to defend-with or without
the help of U. N. forces-the new Jewish
state envisioned in the partitioning
recommendation.
AS for Britain, it has refrained from
commenting on either the minority or
majority proposal, except to agree with all
the general principles. 1t has made clear
however, that it will not undertake-by
itself-to enforce any settlement not &C
ceptable to the Jews and Arabs alike.
Any such settlement, it has said, will have
to be imposed by the United Nations as
whole, with the British reserving the right
to decide whether to participate or not.
Moreover-and most important-it has
served notice that it plans to give up its
administration of the Holy Land and with
draw it's armed forces at an early date
even if the u N fails to find solution one
way or the other. Thus, unless the Arabs
and Jews can agree to compromise their
passionate differences, the menace of vio-
lence will hang darkly over strategically
crucial part of the world-crucial in terms
of oil and the balance of power.
But this prospect depends largely on
whether Russia and the United States
choose parallel or opposite courses. Up to
now, though limiting that they might favor
a partition. they have spoken equivocal
words on the subject. They cannot do that
much longer. If a decision is to be reached,
they will soon have to state fatty just
where they stand. 1t is quite possible, OF
course, that they will stand together, in
which case the Arab threat-Which IN
many respects seems exaggerated-wil be
much less worrisome, and there will be
reason, to hope for good results from any
settlement recommended by thirds