Bernadotte Assailed, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle, July 12, 1948.

Jews Accuse U.N. Mediator of Shielding Arabs, Periling Peace

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LAKE SUCCESS, July 11 (AP)-A spokesman for the government of Israel today accused Count Folke Bernadotte of apologizing for Arab aggression and prejudicing Palestine peace efforts.

The Jewish attack on the U. N. mediator came on the eve of his arrival here from the Middle East. It marked the first time that either the Jews or Arabs have openly assailed the Swedish count, who has been seeking to bring them together for weeks.

Declaring that the Arabs rejected a truce extension and resumed their war of aggression, a spokesman for the Israeli government said in a special statement to newsmen-

“The mediator does not facilitate appropriate action under the U. N. charter when he raises unjustified doubts about the finality of the Arab rejection and minimizes the scale and character of Arab aggression.

‘LACK OF SENSITIVITY’

“According to press dispatches from Rome, Bernadotte described renewed Arab attacks as incidents. When human lives are lost, when a, truce is flagrantly violated and when the Security Council is defied, it shows a lack of sensitivity to describe all these as incidents or to suggest as Bernadotte does that the Arabs had some reason for saying no.

“Such an apology for aggression does not augur well for any successful resumption by the mediator of his mission.

“It now devolves upon the Security Council to move forward under Article 39 (calling for steps to stop war). Any action to avert or delay this logical and imperative course by whomever it is made is not a contribution to peace.”

The Israeli statement came as informed quarters here looked for a resumption of Russian attacks on Bernadotte.

The Israeli delegation to the U. N. also called on the Council to notify all governments that the four-week truce has been ended through Arab rejection of a prolongation and that therefore restrictions on Jewish immigration and arms shipments called for under the truce plan were automatically lifted.

RUSSIAN CHARGE

Andrer A. Gromyko already has charged before the Security Council that Bernadotte exceeded his authority in laying a new peace plan before the Jews and Arabs. The Soviet, delegate also accused the Swedish count of trying to sabotage the U. N. decision to partition the Holy Land.

Bernadotte is scheduled to arrive by plane at 12-25 p. m. (EST) Monday. He will be met at the airport by secretary-general Trygve Lie and intends to go directly to New York quarters in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

By Tuesday morning, the mediator will be ready to face the council and explain his failure to extend the truce and other so-far hidden details of his long negotiations with the Jews and Arabs.

Interest here centered principally on what Bernadotte will have to say about his private tallies with King Abdullah of Trans-Jordan. He already has remarked that they were encouraging.

The formal call for a council meeting is being held up pending Bernadotte’s arrival and announcement of his schedule. He hopes to be back in the Middle East by the end of this week.