The Phoenix Jewish news., 1961-12-08
Arab Move Buckfires I'm U.N.
AS Africans Consult ISrueIiS

The Arab delegations themselves
are responsible for these develop
mentS. Had they let the Israeli is
sues alone, the Africans, busy at
tending to many other important
affairs here, would have found
themselves voting sometimes in
favor of the Arabs. sometimes in
favor of the Israeli viewpoint.
BUT THE ARABS had determin-
ed as long ago as last years As
sembly session that the time had
come to press for what they con-
slider the real solution" - to force
Israel to the wall, preliminary to
forcing all of Israel into the sea.
The Arabs presented their lease"
with so much invective with such
obvious unfairness, that the Afri-
cans were forced to start looking
deeply into all aspects of the Arab
Israeli conflict.
Many of the Africans here con-
cede freely that they have not been
very well acquainted with the basic
issues involved in the disputes be-
tween the Arabs and Israel. T h e
entire Middle East - the regions
cultures, history, ancient quarrels
and new drives for hegemony -
have been foreign to many Afri-
cans. This is true of other parts of
the world as well.
Educated in universities on the
European continent, in France or
Germany, in England or Italy, the
African leaders knew and under
stood European problems. But, as
one said the other day, II had
never even heard of Laos or Ne
pal; and / never knew a thing
about the Palestine partition plan
Of 1947 or about why the Arabs
left in droves when the Israelis
were fighting for their resistance
in 1948 and 1949. At that time,
was in prison, for fighting my own
country's oppressors."
NOW THE AFRICANS are study
ing the records because the Arabs
have made impossible demands on
them and have, indeed, insulted
their intelligence. The Africans
seek out the Israelis, asking queS-
tons. They study carefully u h
basic documents as the two work
ing papers" reiSSued here a
few weeks ago by the Palestine
Cancellation Commission.
In these documents, they read -
on U. N. authority = that it is pos
sible to resettle Arab refugees in
Arab lands; that Israel is not the
ogre pictured by the Arabs; that
it was the Arab political leaders
who killed plans for integrating the
Middle East economically; that it
was the Arab political leaders who
reneged on the Johnston Jordan
River water plan after A b
engineers had accepted the plan as
feasible and of benefit to the entire
region.
The African representatives know
that, politically, their battles for in
dependence and self-determination
have been largely won. Now they
have the time to study other af-
fairs.
Since they have an affinity for
the Israeli people; since the Is
raelis are giving them considerable
technical assistance without politi-
cal strings; since many of the Afri-
can leaders have visited Israel and
been tremendously impressed by
the manner in which Israel has
solved many problems similar to
their own economic and social is
sues - they are not ready to con-
denim Israel just because an All
mad Shukairy attacks Israel here
with venom. They suspect there
are many falsehoods in the Arab
position - and they seek the truth
IF THE ARABS continue on their
present path - they will find, this
year, that the Africans have, in.
deed, grown up. The African votes
are not in the folds of the Arat
/ 4.