Evening star., 1948-04-23
Britain Calls on u. n.
For Emergency Steps
To Pacify Palestine
by the Associoted Press

Britain urged the United Ma
tions today to adopt emergency
measures that would stop open
warfare In Palestine.
Arthur Creech-Jones, colonial sec
retary, told the special Palestine
Assembly's 58-nation Political Com
mittee that there was no time now
to try to reach a permanent solution
to the Holy Land problem.
He repeated that Britain was giv-
ing up her mandate rule May Is
and Palestine then would be without
government unless the U. N. acts
Mr.. Creech-Jones took no direct
stand on the American suggestion
for an interim trusteeship in lieu of
partition. The colonial secretary
added that Britain would cooperate
to the fullest of her ability in carry
ing out any stop-gap measure, sub
ject only to the fixed date of August
l for final withdrawal of British
troops.
Direct Talks Going On.
A British spokesman said Mr..
Creech- Jones speech did not reflect
any decisions taken by the British
cabinet within the last two days.
The spokesman said also that direct
talks still were going on between
Britain and the United States over
a temporary solution.
In his long speech Mr. Creech-
Jones abandoned for the first time
here the strict British handsoff pol
icy regarding a Palestine solution.
He said partition was unrealistic
unless it could be carried out with
force.
IT do not think that any proposals
for definite settlement could be af-
fected unless they were backed by a
very substantial means of enforce
ment," he said. 1T may result from
this necessity that the United Ma
tions, is now obliged to aim at a
more modest objective and to use all
the practical means at its disposal
to prevent developments in Palestine
from endangering the peace of the
world without seeking at this time
to arrive at final solution"%
U. S. Abandons Plan.
The United States has abandoned
plans to call for a special police
force to augment a Palestine truce
commission, informed sources said
The American delegation was said
to be prepard, however, to press
for Security Council creation Of a
United Nations truce commission
This on-the-spot group, probably
with five members, would be
charged with enforcing the Coun-
ellis week k-old cease-f1re order which
has been ignored by the Jews and
Arabs.
The plan for a police augmented
truce commission has been under
serious consideration in the Amer
lean delegation since it became ap-
parent that the Jews and Arabs
would not adhere to the cease-fire
directive. No explanation was avail
able for the reported decision tc
drop the police angle.
Informants said the new step
represented no change in Warren
r. Austin's offer of American troops
for Palestine duty provided that
other U. N.-selected nations would
do likewise. At that time Mr.. Aus
tin stipulated that those troops
would be for the period OF truce
trusteeship, presumably remaining
until order was established and a
government functioning.
The truce commission plan comes
up In the Security Council for de-
bate.
The American proposal for interim
trusteeship in the embattled Holy
Land was making little headway.
1t drew no support yesterday in the
special Assembly's 58-nation Political
Committee. Australia moved for
mally that the U. N. stick to parti-
tion.
The Arabs charged yesterday that
the Jewish capture of Haifa was an
atrocious massacre.
Guatemala retorted that the
Arabs themselves had started the
war in Palestine.
The outburst started with charge
by Faris ell Khoury of Syria that
the Jews have set out to annihilate
all Arabs now in Jewish areas. Mr..
Ell Khoury said the Jews did not
wait until their new country had
been established.