Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-18
Peace in Middle East
HingesonC Compromise
Between Arabs, Jews
ARAB VIEW
BY ROBERT HEWETT

BE1R Ut. Lebanon "A stone
skinned close over the heads of
the visiting Americans. A ragged
10-year-old boy. barefoot in the cold
winter mud. peered around the cor
ner of stone hut and shouted in
Arabic:
when are you Americans going
to let us go back to Palestine?"
his little incident in an Arab
refugee camp-one of scores hous-
ing 100000 Arab refugees from Is
rael--illustrates the feeling in the
Arab world toward America these
days.
An embittered Western-educated
Arab leader saw 1t coming. Six
years ago, after the new state Of
Israel had fought the ill-organized
armies of six Arab nations to q
standstill, he told this correspond
ent:
Its too bad there isn't an Arab
vote in the United States. American
politicians who support Israel to
win Jewish votes are going to turn
the Arabs against the West. Why
does the United States oppose As
million Arabs who want to be
friends and support less than 2 mil
lion Jews who have taken our land
by force?"
Today American diplomats and
businessmen In this area agree the
Arabs are indeed turning against
the West-and they are turning to
Soviet Russia.
Year Of Decision
Many Americans and Britons, in
day-to-day contact with the Arabs.
see 1856 as the year Of decision"
for the Middle East and for Amer
teas future in the area.
They are convinced there Is very
real danger Of large scale Soviet
penetration Of this strategic land
bridge between Asia and Africa. And
the desert sands and rugged hills
cover more than half the worlds
oil which now goes to the West.
Many American newcomers are
sstounded at the depth Of anti
American feeling among the Arabs
and worried by the gains already
made by the Iron Curtain countries.
The Arab answer Is: Israel"
Rightly or wrongly. most Arabs fear
the Israelis more than the threat
posed by communism.
Arabs overlook their own disunity
and blame the United States-and
Britain to q lesser degree-for the
loss of their lands to Israel. They
claim Israel never would have been
carved out Of Palestine In 194S
without the support Of the West.
They point to Israeli bond drives
raising millions Of dollars in the
United States o. proof that Ameri--
cans support Israel today against
the Arabs.
Many suspicious Arabs see the
proposed American financed Jor-
can Valley irrigation scheme and
refugee resettlement plans as
tricks" for the ultimate benefit OF
Israel.
Moslem Arabs are additionally
ntl-Communist. But communism
is no longer O nasty word since the
Czechs began selling arms to Egypt
and since Russia offered TO build
an oil refinery in Syria and aid In
Egypt's big Nile River dam project.
Compromise Needed
American and British diplomats
are warning their governments Q
compromise solution to the conflict
must be found soon. They fear Q
new fiareup of big-scale fighting
which would profit only the Com
munists, no matter who wins-h
peace efforts fail now.
In public statements, at least.
each side insists that the other
do the compromising. There are
many points Of disagreement. but
the main stumbling blocks are:
1. Territory. The Arabs want
Israels boundary to be that pre-
scribed in the 1947 United Nations
partition plan. This would involve
Israel giving up . considerable
amount of territory which she took
during the 1913 war. Foreign Min
lister Moshe Sharett declared at an
Israel bond drive in Washington
that his nation would never Sub
NIT to amputation."
2, Refugees. The Arabs want
the 100000 Arab refugees to be
repatriated to their homes IN what
Is now Israel. They have resisted
resettlement Of the refugees but
some Arabs have said they would
accept compensation for loss Of
their homes. Israel has said 1t has
no room now to repatriate Arab
refugees and the thorny issue OF
compensation has never reached
the discussion stage.
3. Economic boycott Of Israel.
Egypt has refused to let Israeli
bound ships use the international
Suez Canal or pass through the
Gulf OF Aqaba to the Israel port OF
Elath. Most foreign firms which
do business with Israel are boy
cotted in the Arab states and there
is no trade between Israel and her
neighbors. There is no doubt that
the economic boycott has hurt
Israels economy.
The main dispute has been over
territory. Arabs accuse the Is
raells OF stealing our land by
force" Israeli spokesman insist
they can't give up any OF their
present territory If the little nation
is to fulfill their dreams Of a jew
ish homeland.
Reds in Picture
The new urgency for a settle
ment stems directly from the Soviet
supply of arms to Egypt and offers
of economic assistance to the Arabs
considered q possible opening
wedge to full-scale Communist
penetration of the strategic oil
rich area.
IF Soviet communism takes over
the Middle East because Of our
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