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DIPLOMACY'S TRAIL OF
FAILURE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Diplomacy has left a trail lit–
tered with accumulated failures in
its attempts to solve the Middle
East crisis.
A quick look at the "box score"
tells a sobering story:
THE BRITISH MANDATE
• 1916 - Britain and France
agree to make Palestine a Brit–
ish mandate in the division of
the Ottoman Empire after
World War
l.
•
19 17 - Britain issues the Bal–
four Declaration in support of
the establishment of 'a na–
tional home for the Jewish
people," to be located in Pales–
tine.
Mandate. Israel declares inde–
pendence with U. S. and Soviet
support. War breaks out in
M1adle East, fo llowed by
Israelí victory and armistice.
• 1956- France and Britain join
Israelis in attacking Egypt ,
with Soviet Union and
U.
S.
stepping in to stop the war.
U.N. "peace-keeping" force es–
tablished.
THE SIX-DAY WAR
• 1967 - Egypt ousts U.N. force,
closes Straits of Tiran. Israelí
o.tfensives take over Sinai Pen–
ínsula, Golan Heights and Jor–
danian West Bank territories,
including East Jerusalem in
lightning "Six-DayWar."
• 19Í9 - The American King–
Crane Commission concludes •
that the Balfour Declaration
could only be imp1emented
through use of military force at
the expense of the non-Jewish
population.
1970 - U.N. representative
Gunnar Jarring mediates talks
between Israel, Egypt and Jor–
dan. Israel bows out of tbe
talks. New U. S. peace initia–
tive reported.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
1971 - Egypt signs 15-year
friendship treaty wtth U.S.S.R.
• 1922 - The League of Nations
sets up the British-mandated
territory of Palestine; the terri- •
tory is divided into Palestine
and Transjordan. Britain's al–
líes approve the Balfour Decla–
ration. Arabs react with
periodic violence.
• 1972 - Egypt thrusts Russian
"advisors" out and tells the So–
viet Union to cease inftuencing
Cairo's policies regarding
Israel.
• 1937 - Arab-Jewish strife leads
to British decision that the
Mandate is unworkable. Parti–
tion of Pa1estine urged.
• 1939 - Britain reverses its posi–
tion on the Balfour Declara–
tion. Zionists react with
violence.
THEU.N. PARTITION
• 1947 - British diplomats con–
ce~~
failure, turn the growing
cns1s over to the U.N.
• 1948 - Britain calls hall
to
• 1973 - Shaky "peace" jarred
by commando ra1ds and guer–
rilla attacks. Libyan airliner
with 113 aboard shot down
over Sinai by Israel; over lOO
die.
One diplomatic thrust has led to
another
in
the Middle East. But
none are proving successful in
stemming a conflict that could
spread into a worldwide con–
frontation.
date has been Resolution 242 of the
United Nations Security Council.
Words - But No Action
Adopted in November 1967, this
resolution calls for Israelí with–
drawal from territories occupied in
the Six-Day War, and the implicit
reopening of strategic waterways. In
return, it would require neighboring
Arab states to recognize Israel's sov–
ereignty. Both sides have given tacit
approval, but neither has wanted to
take the all-important steps toward
implementation of the plan.
The United Nations, remember,
has absolutely no vested authority
to enforc.e such an agreement. It can
only "suggest" or "recommend."
And in upwards of six years, there
have been no takers.
As one Israelí official observed,
"lt
will take an
outside
stimulus to
break the stalemate in the Middle
East. "The parties," he stressed, "are
too frozen in their positions ... to
do it themselves."
Past U.N. efforts have repeatedly
proved impotent. Inftuence from
Britain and France, both distrusted
by Israel and by sorne Arab leaders
as well, is on the wane. The Soviets
have yet to purchase solid friend–
ship in this often fickle area. Thus,
all eyes are on Washington - the
only
power center given any real
chance of bringing effective in–
ftuence to bear on both sides.
President Nixon has already
given the Middle East "very high
priority" for second-term diplomatic
attention. White House visits by
King Hussein of Jordan, Egypt's
Hafez Ismai l and l srael's Golda
Meir earlier this year have set the
stage for further high-level contacts.
But witb memories of Vietnam so
fresh in American minds, what
could possibly motívate the United
States to become actively involved
in another supposedly regional dis–
pute? The sobering answer is that
the Middle East is
vastly more im–
portant to U.
S.
interna! survivalthan
Vietnam
EVER
was!
PlAIN TRUTH
June
1973