Ratification Likely By Arabs and Jews
Plan Devised by Shertok and Husseini Affects Only Old Walled City
By Virginia Clemmer
LAKE SUCCESS. L. I., April 28-The Jewish Agency for Palestine and the Arab Higher Committee agreed late this afternoon to recommend an immediate truce in the old walled portion of Jerusalem.
The truce is still subject to ratification by Arabs and Jews in Palestine, but the agreement in consultation with the United Nations Trusteeship Council represents the first, small U. N. accomplishment on the Palestine problem.
The true, if it is ratified, as was expected here tonight, would not extend to modern and strategically important Jerusalem outside the old walled section, and its specific terms would remain to be elaborated by the Trusteeship Council in consultation with representatives of the Agency and the Arab Committee.
Arab Leagues Asks Truce
[In Cairo, Egypt, yesterday, according to The United Press, a conditional truce in Jerusalem was proposed by the Arab League to safeguard the city’s holy places. The League made its proposal known in a note delivered at foreign embassies and legations.
[In Washington, Secretary of State George C. Marshall said he still hoped a truce could be arranged in time to head off large-scale hostilities in Palestine, Mr. Marshall also announced that John H. Hilldring, who retired as an Assistant Secretary of State last Aug. 31, has been called back to become special assistant for Palestine affairs. Regarded as an expert on Palestine affairs, Mr. Hilldring was one of the group who deceived the partition plan.]
Moshe Shertok represented the Jewish Agency during the Trusteeship Council meeting and agreed to recommend the truce on the understanding that the city’s walls not be used as ramparts by the Arabs and that there be no firing from within to the outside areas and none from outside into the walled section.
Arabs Modify Stand
The Arabs were represented by Jamal el Husseini, vice-chairman of the Arab Higher Committee, who withdrew a previous truce condition that Haganah forces within the walled area be withdrawn, on the understanding that the forces should not be increased.
Mr. Shertok, head of the Agency political department, agreed with reluctance to the principle of a truce limited to the walled city. He argued that with fighting going on all around outside, the area would be hard pressed to maintain peace and quiet.
His insistence, however, that the truce apply to all of Jerusalem met with instant Arab opposition. Mr. Husseini told the Trusteeship Council that a truce in modern Jerusalem was impossible without a truce for all Palestine.
The specific proposals which the two groups agreed to recommend to their communities in Palestine set forth that all military operations and acts of violence shall stop immediately and cease-fire orders be issued at the earliest possible moment; that the truce shall be observed by an impartial commission which will report to the Trusteeship Council, and that details be worked out in further negotiations.
Awni Khalidy, the Council delegate from Iraq, suggested that the truce commission be composed of the heads of the religious hierarchies of the Christian, Jewish and Moslem religions in Jeru-of repetitive, desultory debate subject acceptable to both the Arabs and Jews.
The question was not discussed further.
The truce decision means little in relation to the total Palestine problem, but it was a symbol of a small triumph for the U. N. Delegates in the Political Committee of the U. N. General Assembly were so starved for any piece of good news on Palestine that they applauded loudly today when the truce arrangements were announced.
The old walled city of Jerusalem is inhabited by about 2,500 Jews and 25,000 Arabs. It contains such shrines as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Walling Wall and the Mosque of Omar.
Meanwhile, the fifty-eight-country Political Committee of the Assembly went through another day of repetitive, desultory debate which revolved loosely around the United States working paper setting forth an outline for U. N. trusteeship over Palestine.
Part of the morning argument centered on what sort of sub-committee should be named, on the motion of Guatemala, to make preliminary inquiries and find out whether a trusteeship would be accepted by Jews and Arabs, how many troops would be required to enforce trusteeship and how much money the whole program would cost the U. N.
As the debate dragged along, Syrian delegate Faris el Khouri complained that it appeared that some delegations were trying to delay proceedings so that May 15 and the end of the British mandate would arrive and there would still be no U. N. Palestine solution on the books except partition.
Later in the day, when some delegations spoke hopefully of their wish that partition would prove to be the eventual settlement, Egypt warned the U. N. not to make the same mistake twice-the mistake of thinking that the Arabs will ever accept partition without a fight to the end.