53. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, December 4, 19581
SUBJECT
- Israeli Request for Security Council Meeting
PARTICIPANTS
- Mr. Abba Eban, Ambassador of Israel
- Mr. Shmuel Yaari, Second Secretary, Embassy of Israel
- IO—Mr. F. O. Wilcox
- UNP—Mr. D. L. Gamon
(Before turning to the announced purpose of his call, UNRWA, Ambassador Eban gave the following explanation of the reasons behind the Israeli request for a meeting of the Security Council.)
Ambassador Eban explained that Israel earlier in the day had requested an immediate meeting of the Security Council to consider recent events in the Israeli-Syrian sector of the Armistice Lines.2 After some two years of quiet the Israeli-Syrian lines had recently become an area of considerable tension. There had been the murder of the wife of the British Air Attaché, the shootings on November 6 and, now, the flare-up on December 3. These last two events had resulted in considerable material damage to Israel. The possibility should not be dismissed that events might be leading up to a sequence of violence that should be avoided. In the past, it was only when a major outbreak had occurred that the Security Council acted. In the present case Israel considered it better to bring the situation under the control of the Council as soon as possible and before it got out of hand. The very act of a meeting of the Council would have a very beneficial effect.
The Ambassador hoped that the Council would take Israel’s request seriously and not question Israel’s motives. He hoped that a meeting could be held within a day or two. There was ample precedent for the Council to accede to such a request and to meet, at least to become seized of the matter.
Mr. Wilcox said that he had been aware of a feeling in New York that, due to the coincidence of several other important matters such as the Cyprus item and discussion of the UNRWA item, a short delay in convening the Council might be advisable. There appeared to be some questioning as to whether the facts justified the Israeli request. He said that he assumed that Israel had been bending over backward to cooperate with UNTSO and hoped that it had made sure its own record was immaculate before going to the Council.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 330/12–458. Limited Official Use. Drafted by Gamon. See also infra. A summary of the conversation was transmitted to USUN in telegram 520, December 5. (Department of State, Central Files, 330/23–458)↩
- Text of the Israeli request was transmitted in telegram 440 from USUN, December 4. (Ibid.)↩