By April 23, 2008 Read More →

Arabs Oppose U.S. Plan of Trusteeship for Jerusalem, United Press, San Francisco Chronicle, May 1, 1948.

Jamal El HusseiniClick here to view the original article.

LAKE SUCCESS, N. Y., April 30 (U.P.)-The United Nations Trusteeship Council tonight was presented with a plan to set up a “simple trusteeship” for the city of Jerusalem, but the council delayed a vote after the Arabs announced they would oppose it with force.

The United States submitted the general proposal and began putting on pressure for its adoption, resulting in the drawing of a rough draft for the plan tonight.

(Associated Press reported the plan was drafted at a meeting which authoritative sources said was attended by delegates of the United
States, Belgium and New Zealand.)

It called for a U. N. representative to go promptly to Jerusalem to attempt to establish a truce, take over municipal duties from the
British and begin the formation of a police force.

Until a police force was formed, the draft suggested, the administrator for Jerusalem could call on U. N. member nations, subject to approval of the General Assembly, to furnish troops.

SHARE’ OF TROOPS

A high U. S. official said this country was ready to contribute its “share” for a U. N. fighting force to impose a Jerusalem trusteeship
whether or not the Jews and Arabs agreed.

But other nations objected to hurried action and the momentary spurt was effectively blocked when Jamal El Husseini, spokesman for the Arab Higher Committee, said-

“We believe this is a preliminary step to partition. We are fighting the partition scheme. We shall fight this scheme, too.”

Speaker after speaker emphasized the need for speed at a time when news dispatches told of fighting in the Holy City. But few were willing to commit themselves without instructions from their government and further study.

The Council decided on a night session to study temporary trusteeship further after Iraq’s delegate, Awni Khalidy, reminded the delegates that people were being killed.

The meeting adjourned shortly before 10 p. m. after 90 minutes of fruitless discussion. No decision was reached.

(Associated Press reported that at the night session, Russia objected to the American proposal.

(The Jewish Agency reserved its position; the Arab Higher Committee said it would oppose the carrying out of the new scheme.

(China, France and New Zealand expressed general agreement with the idea.)

The draft presented to the Council took note that a truce had been recommended for the walled city and suggested that the Trusteeship
Council recommend the temporary trusteeship for the municipality of Jerusalem to the General Assembly which would still have to give its
approval.

Khalidy called the plan a “backstage” maneuver full of loopholes and designed to carry out the original partition decision under which
Jerusalem would have been a city under U. N. trusteeship.

REPORT BY MONDAY

(The Trusteeship Council hopes to have a report ready for the full Assembly by Monday, according to Associated Press.)

In the main political committee, debate continued on the trusteeship plan for all Palestine. Faris El Khouri, Arab spokesman from Syria, launched an attack on the American plan, particularly objecting to giving broad powers to a Governor General appointed by the U. N.

The Russian bloc opened a furious assault on the American proposal. Soviet Representative Andrel Gromyko announced Russia would never
consent to trusteeship.

As the U. N. continued its slow moving efforts to ward off full-scale war in Palestine May 15, it was learned that an American official had warned the Arabs privately that they may draw Soviet Russia into the Middle East if they insist on a war in Palestine.

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