THE AKABA ARGUMENT
Snt,—With reference to the note in the Spectator of March 25th, The Akaba Argument, I should like to draw your attention to the findings of the Acting Mediator for Palestine, Dr. tunche, as reported by Reuter in the British Press on March 23rd. According to Dr. Bunche's findings there -is no hint whatever of any violation of the terms of the Israeli-Egyptian armistice agreement, moreover as the situation in the Gulf of Akaba is described as quiet, your charge that the " armoured Jewish excursion to the Gulf- of Akaba . . . is a clear threat to the integrity of Transjordan " seems to be wholly .unsubstantiated and, unless one really intends to add more fuel to a situation already explosive enough, no purpose can be served by such accusations, except to embitter the feelings between Britain and Israel, from which, I think, neither the cause of peace in the Middle Eaat, nor , the interests of Britain and Israel, stand to gain anything.
As to an-Israeli withdrawal from the Gulf of Akaba, it seems that unless you regard the U.N. award of. November 29th, 1947, under which this area was given to Israel, as a nullity, there would be no point in such a withdrawal ; moreover, as this area is accordingly as Much under Israeli sovereignty as ano other part of that State, Israel haS as much right, to station troops there as it is entitled to have its troops in Tel-Aviv or Haifa. As to the negotiations with Syria, I should like to point out that under the U.N. resolution of November 29th, 1947, Eastern Galilee was awarded to the Jewish State, and not to the Arabs, as reported in
lo6 Shirland Road, W.9. •
[The dispatch of a military expedition to the border of a State with which you are negotiating an agreement is usually considered a threat. If the U.N. partition award of November, 29th, 1947, is to be the basis of Israel's actions, the best way to make this plain to the world would be for Israel to evacuate those areas which she now occupies and which were not allotted to the Jews under the award ; notably, Jerusalem, Galilee and Jaffa.—En., Spectator.]
Previous page
