Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-21
Calling Israel to Account

The decision of the United States Govern
ment to suspend economic aid to Israel because
of the latter's defiance of United Nations orders
is a logical and justif1able step. It is fortunate,
at the same time, that the specific U. N. order
which gave rise to this decision will be under
review by the Security Council in it's scheduled
consideration, perhaps later this week, of a
Syrian complaint against Israel.
According to Secretary of State Dulles, the
American decision is based upon Israel's dis
regard of an order by Major General Vagn
Bennike, U. N. truce supervisor, that work should
be halted on an Israeli canal and Water-power
project involving diversion of a stretch of the
Jordan River which forms part of the Israeli
Syrian frontier. The work was started in early
September, and brought a protest from the
Syrian government that it was in violation of
the 1949 Arab-Israeli armistice. General Ben
nike issued an order on September % that work
on the project should be halted. After dis
putting the Syrian charges and announcing that
the order would be appealed to the U. N, it was
reported that Israeli authorities had doubled the
work force on the project and made arrange
mentS for night operations under f1oodlights.
Syria submitted it's complaint to the Security
Council last week. At his press conference yes
terday, Mr.. Dulles acknowledged the right of
the Israeli government to appeal General Ben
mixes order but explained that the State De-
partment felt the work should have been halted
pending outcome of the appeal.
Coincident with the outbreak of this con-
troverSy, the United Nations Yesterday received
from the Tennessee Valley Authority an engi-
neering study calling for a $121-million program
by which irrigation and electric power for
Jordan, Syria and Israel could be developed
from the Jordan River system. One of the
Nhiocfivoc of thic oroionf ic RI nr0vido uyOrE for
a substantial number of the 900, 900 Arab refu-
gees of the Palestine war and to reclaim an area
that would permit a permanent reSettlement of
about 100000 of them.
The future of these refugees has been one
of the bitterest issues existing between Israel
and the ~neighboring Arab states for more than
four years. A u. N. resolution of December, 1948,
called for repatriation of the refugees or pay
ment of compensation by Israel for the lands
and properties of these displaced people, but
the resolution never has been supplemented.
Another U. N. resolution bearing upon the
Arab-ISraeli relationship which never has been
honored is one calling for the nternationaliza-
ton of Greater Jerusalem. Although both
Israel and Jordan opposed this solution for the
Holy City, the former carried it's defiance to the
point of moving its capital from Tel Aviv to
Jerusalem. Mr.. Dulles mentioned this action
and some of the border incidents as contribut-
ing to the State Departments feeling that
Israel has been guilty of improper conduct
vis-a-vis the United Nations efforts to work out
a peaceful settlement of the Arab-Israeli
situation.
With the Security Council committed first
to consideration of last weeks Israeli attack on
three Jordan villages and with General Bennike
scheduled to make a personal report on the
incident, the time and opportunity appear at
hand for a thorough study Of all the factors so