Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-04-20


eminent formally proposed an in
dependent Palestine. 10 be gov
erned by an Arab-Jewish coalition,
with strictly regulated Jewish i'm
migration. But the war made
the plan moot, After the war Arab
opposition TO the greatly increased
Jewish immigration into Palestine
brought creation OF the Arab
League, comprised of all the Arab
states, and Jewish impotence with
British reluctance to implement
establishment OF a Jewish state
brought q wave of terrorism and
widening Of the chaSm between
Arabs and Jews into a seemingly
unbridgeable void.
The U. N. Stepped In
Here again international con-
SiderationS entered the picture
with the intervention Of the
United Nations in the interest Of
peace. When the proclamation Of
the independent Jewish State Of
Israel in May. l948. brought i'm
mediate attack by Egypt, Jordan,
Iraq. Lebanon and Syria. the
U. NJ moved TO end hostilities on
the basis OF the General AsSembly's
resolution of November 30. l947.
which had called for partition OF
Palestine into Jewish state and
an Arab state, sharing an eco
nomic union.
This plan had been rejected by
the Arabs. but the Israeli repulse
of the Arab forces in the l948 at
tackS brought about two brief
truces under U. N. auspices, and a
final cease-fire. still precariously
in effect, on January Z. l949.
Since the armiStice agreement
of l949. the u. N. has been super
vising the enforcement OF the
cease-fire in the face Of constant
violations along the truce lines.
U. N. agencies also have taken on
the task of feeding. clothing,
housing and schooling the thou
sands OF Arab Pslestinians who
fled to the GAIA Strip during the
fighting Of 1913.
But apart from varying degrees
Of cooperation with the L. N
ArmiStice Commission, the Arab
states have refused to enter into
negotiations with Israel looking
toward a permanent peace. Tech
nically. and too often actually.
a state of war continues to exist
between all the Arab nations and
Israel.
International concern with the
Middle East was again demon
strated in 1856. when Egypt's ma
tionalization of the SueZ Canal
brought an Israeli british French
invasion of Egypt. This time. the
U. N, backed by the unprece-
dented unity of the United States
and the Soviet Union, succeeded
in forcing abandonment Of the in
vasion. A U. N. international Sc
curly force then occupied the
troubled areas of Sinai and the
GAIA Strip. and these troops still
patrol the truce lines.
The Outlook
Today finds Israel surrounded
by bitter enemies as before. en-
emies who are moving toward
greater unity, politically and mill
tarily. Another matter Of concern
for the little nation is the heavy
military assistance being rendered
the Egyptians. Syrians and Ye-
mems by the Soviet bloc. Yet
Israel. under the cautious policy
Of Prime Minister David Ben
Gurion. refrains from association
with the Vests Baghdad Pact
and from Identification with
Western nations likely to provoke
either her Arab neighbors or the
Soviet Union.
The outlook for peace in the
lAdNlC LnoL. VIII NbllbAldNN chl
yival for Israel. probably depends
more on the future course OF the
cold war than on any other factor.
Attainment OF a workable amity
between the Soviet bloc and the
West would bring at least a meas
ure of stability to the Middle East
and would dampen Arab fires
enough to rule out in all prob
ability any early armed attack on
Israel.
For this outcome the Israelis
fervently hope. The optimists
think there is basis for that hope
If the interests of both East and
West in the Middle East balance
themselves for a long enough time
TO allow the forces for stability,
both political and economic, TO
prevail.