Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-07-14
Palestine and the U. N.

In calling 1Or prompt ana eueCtlSe
intervention by the Security Council"
Count Folke Bernadotte, the United
Nations mediator, has emphasized that
a peaceful settlement in Palestine cannot
be hoped for otherwise. The FIRST essen
tial" is action to prevail upon the Arabs
to agree with the Jews in establishing
another truce. Given that, then 1t will
be possible to work out solution salts
factory to both sides.
Count Bernadotte, though processing
optimism over the long-range outlook, has
injected a note of urgency into his report.
In his view, speedy intervention by the
Security Council could well be the de-
cisive factor" in solving the problem OF
Palestine. BY the same token. however,
action taken on a too-little-too-late basis
would be likely to involve many risks for
the peace of the entire Near East If not
for the larger world" In the circum-
stances, as the U. N. mediator sees the
situation the Council ought certainly to
adopt every feasible and just measure to
end the use of armed force by the Arabs
and Jews.
For his own part, Count Bernadotte has
recommended the strongest possible action
under the United Nations Charter to
compel both sides to stop hostilities i'm
mediately. Observing that the Jews agreed
to extend the recent truce but that the
Arabs refused because they felt it favored
the Jewish position, he has emphatically
warned that the U. N. must act now II
there is to be any progress toward peace
lit I'D 1ar1f nh,
ress can be made only by forbidding the
use of armed force and by making 1t
"prohibitively improbable for the Arabs"
If they persist in fighting despite an Israeli
willingness to suspend violence.
In line with this view, the. Security
Council is expected to take strong action
within a matter Of hours. The British are
fully prepared to support the American
plan for a near ultimatum calling upon
both sides to agree on truce or invite
the penalties Of economic and other sane
tions. Since Jewish willingness to agree
has already been expressed, such a move
would be aimed directly at the Arabs, who
conceivably might defy 1t and resort to
reprisals, including the cancellation OF Oil
concessions to the United States. But IL
is hard to see what they could gain from
that, or what they could lose from CO.
operating with the u N. by holding their
fire and trying again to find peaceful
settlement at the conference table.
AS Count Bernadotte has pointed out,
however, another truce-vital as 1t is
would be merely FIRST step" toward a
lasting solution. For what must be re-
n,embered is this: That just as the
Zionists are deeply dedicated to the idea
of separate state in partitioned Pales-
tine, the Arab League is bitterly opposed.
It is opposed because it sincerely believes
that the Jews are invaders, that the United
Nations is unjust in supporting partition
and that the existence of Israel and I'M
restricted Jewish immigration would
menace the entire world of the Arabs.
That is why they insist on unitary state
dominated by themselves.
Accordingly, even though the Security
Council may succeed now In getting a
truce Count Bernadotte has rightly
stressed that the future Of Israel Will
remain uncertain, that its security prob
ably will be a serious problem for good
time to come, and that it will grow strong
and prosper only II 1t is able to develop
friendly relations with its Arab neighbors.
In sum, the cessation of current hostilities,
difficult in itself to achieve, Is the easiest
part of the task of establishing lasting
peace in the Holy Land.
The point is worth emphasizing. Before
that task is completed, the United Nations
may have to devote years Of effort to it.
In the last analysis, moreover, 1t will come
to nothing unless the Arabs and Jews
show good will and readiness to compro-
mise on the basis of honest give-and-take.
without that, no amount of U. N.
Intervention can achieve an enduring
solution.
Russia and Korea