Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Arab-Israeli Dispute, 1955, Volume XIV

382. Telegram From the Mission at the United Nations to the Department of State¹

New York,November 3, 1955—5 p.m.

398. Re Palestine.

1. Following text letter Hammarskjold proposed send today to Israel representative as reported in immediately preceding telegram:²

Begin text.

In a letter from General Burns of 29 October³ in which the Chief of Staff spoke also on my behalf, your attention was called to the grave moral responsibility which would be borne by a party which, in the present situation in the El Auja area, took offensive action of any kind.

When I invited the Chief of Staff to come here for consultations an undertaking was given to him by the Israeli Government to abstain during his absence from actions that might aggravate the situation.

In a letter to you on an earlier occasion, I found reason to draw attention to the very serious view the United Nations must take of an interference with the activities of its observers, especially in a situation where their contribution might have been of special importance.⁴

This view was most recently expressed in the resolution adopted unanimously by the Security Council on 8 September 1955.⁵ In paragraph 4 of that resolution, the Security Council, “Declares that freedom of movement must be awarded to United Nations observers in the area to enable them to fulfill their functions.”

I find it necessary to remind you of these facts with all emphasis, in view of the action taken by Israel last night.

According to official Israeli sources, an Israeli Army unit attacked and occupied positions established by the Egyptian Army within the demilitarized area. This action is all the more unwarranted because, as the Israeli authorities know very well, General Burns and the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization have been engaged during the past few weeks in intensive efforts to secure the removal from the demilitarized area of positions established therein by both parties in violation of the General Armistice Agreement.

In a comment released by the Israeli Foreign Office today it is stated that “full freedom of movement in El Auja for United Nations military observers has been granted again.”

According to our own observers, they have been denied access to observation posts in the El Auja area during the night and they were also denied access to the Rafah, Ismailia and Birein roads. In a statement to the United Nations military observers in El Auja the senior Israeli delegate stated that only the Beersheba-El Auja road was free to observers but that “all other roads in the Demilitarized Zone and all the Demilitarized Zone area are restricted until further notice.”

In another demarche today I am putting forward, jointly with General Burns, certain proposals which in our view represent minimum requirements if order is to be re-established in the El Auja area and vicinity.⁶ These proposals were discussed with General Burns during his visit and prior to the latest developments. The possibilities of proceeding with these proposals and of achieving stability in the area are considerably reduced by the attitude of the Israeli Government most recently reflected in the military action yesterday.⁷

End text.

2. Following is substitute numbered paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 of Hammarskjold-Burns letter to Israel and Egypt as contained in mytel 395, November 1. Text contained in reftel otherwise remains unchanged.⁸

Begin text.

1. Completion of the marking of the old Egyptian-Palestine frontier, along the western boundary of the Demilitarized Zone.

2. Restriction of all Egyptian checkposts and defended posts to positions west of the western boundary of the Demilitarized Zone, and the removal of personnel, obstacles and mines from all positions within the Demilitarized Zone.

3. Simultaneous removal by Israel of all obstacles and mines and the limitation of Israeli personnel in the Demilitarized Zone to the inhabitants of Kibbutz Ktsiot and the thirty civilian police allowed for the protection of civilian activities, without prejudice to the ultimate settlement, through the machinery provided in the General Armistice Agreement, of the question of the existence of such a settlement in the Demilitarized Zone and subject to the reservations made by General Burns on 29 September 1955⁹ as regards the maintenance of civilian police based on such settlements.¹⁰

End text.

Lodge

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/11–355. Confidential. Received at 6:20 p.m.
2. Supra.
3. See Document 367.
4. On August 31,Cole reported that the Israelis had prevented U.N. officials from discharging their duties as observers by detaining them at Beersheba. (Telegram 66 from Jerusalem; Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/8–3155) Ambassador Lodge in New York informed the Department that Hammarskjöld on August 31 had “summoned Israeli rep and given him an ultimatum as to … the detention of UN personnel.” (Telegram 191 from USUN, September 1;ibid., 674.84A/9–155)
5. See Document 262.
6. See Document 394.
7. Hammarskjöld subsequently made several changes in the text of this letter. A copy of the final text is filed as an attachment to a memorandum of November 3 from Barco to Niles Bond, Director of the Office of U.N. Political and Security Affairs. The most significant change was in the last sentence, which, in the final text, reads as follows: “The possibilities of proceeding with these proposals and of achieving stability in the area are considerably reduced by such military action as that of yesterday.” (Department of State,UNP Files: Lot 59 D 237, Palestine—General Correspondence)
8. Hammarskjöld subsequently made several changes in the text of this letter. A copy of the final text is filed as an attachment to the memorandum cited in footnote 7. In the final text, the sentence preceding numbered paragraph 1 reads as follows: “Present tensions and the risk of further serious incidents in the area will be reduced if, without prejudice to any of the provisions of the General Armistice Agreement, immediate effect is given to the following three points:”
9. See Document 328.
10. In the final text of the letter, cited in footnote 8, the third numbered paragraph reads as follows: “Simultaneous removal by Israel of all obstacles and mines and the limitation of Israeli personnel in the Demilitarized Zone to the inhabitants of Kibbutz Ktsiot and the thirty civilian police allowed for the protection of civilian activities, subject to the reservations made by General Burns in his letter of 29 September 1955.”