Evening star., 1948-02-21
Wants Action Against Arabs


Palestine" poses some very real questions
which, as you suggest must be deliberated
carefully and-how right you are-in the open.
l. For instance the question of arming the
Jews. That the Palestine Commission report
blasted the assumption that the arming OF
the Jews would balance the power and thus
contain the fighting is point that had es-
capped me. Whereas the report was concen-
trated around the recommendation of an in
ternational force for Palestine, which indeed
in all likelihood is the only way for the U. N.
to prove that it means business, still 1t cannot
be argued that on the basis of this, the arming
of the Jews would extend rather than check
the fighting By-passing, for moment, the
moral considerations the realistic aspect OF
the situation is that If the Arabs believe the
Jews to be without proper defenses, they will
push and expand their plans for invasion now.
But If armed the Haganah represents force
not to be dealt with lightly, one which might
we'll blight the Arab war effort by dealing it a
too severe setback. The Arabs have very
deep-seated respect for force and show OF
strength.
The moral arguments for making arms avail
able to the Jews are all too obvious Not only
should the power be balanced. 1t should be
re-aligned, so that the strength of the aggres-
SOT Is ItdlleO alu GlIdI VI G1lC dtGdChCu OA
defender, is strong enough to beat back the
aggressor decisively. That, after all, Is the
meaning of U. N. force, agreed to in prin-
ciple by all the powers big and small
O. While many thought the Arabs were bluff
ing and would not go through with their in
tentions to declare war against the U. N, no
one could foresee the amount Of encourage
ment that was to be rendered them by U. N.
MEMBERSHIP absence of protest, the program
of inaction which, on the face of it. can be in
terpreted only as appeasement No one could
have foreseen, for example, that when the
Syrian troops under the vaunted leadership
of the Syrian Defense Minister crossed the
northern frontiers of Palestine in violation OF
all international law, our own State Depart
ment would have registered not one word of
protest!
g. Having to date, literally gotten away with
murder, there would be cause only for wonder
if the Arab States were to back down now. But
If the U. N. must hesitate before confronting
the Arab States-whose very existence is de-
pendent economically, on the United States
and Britain-then we surely are living in
through the looking glass kind of world.
T. AS for Middle East bases in the event OF a
war with Russia, most of our top military men
feel that this area so quickly would be overrun
Dy Russia because Oh ner geographical pIohl-
NIFTY that we should not include the area in our
plans. Were this not the case, however, it would
still be miscalculation to believe that appeas-
ing the Arab political leaders would bring re-
suits. Just the opposite, as Britain discovered
during the last war, and more recently in Iraq.
Not only do we lose our moral strength in the
Middle East-where often this is the strong
est factor in determining an alignment-but
we also leave Gromyko as champion of the
Jewish cause This does not make sense, es-
pecially in view of our policy in Greece and
Korea.
S. On the question OF oil, I am inclined to
think the zionists are correct when they say
the Arab need of dollars is so great that
come what may, they would still sell their oil"
Is it not striking point for their argument
that not single oil man has come out openly
and stated that partition of Palestine will ruin
the present and future of our oil needs? While
this point of view is being voiced by some per-
sons in Washington, the recent report Of the
Vice President of ARAMCO said work was pro-
ceeding as planned and they expected the pipe
line to be finished on schedule.
In conclusion, history has shown time and
again that troubled areas afford an open in
vitation to empire schemers The best guar
antee that the Middle East maintain its right
full autonomy is for the United States, in con-
cert with Russia, through the U. N, to act
quickly and decisively to nip the Arab chal-
lenge to world authority.
RoSALYNE COOPER