Count Bernadotte's Labours
Is an ill-kept truce in Palestine better than spasmodic war ; or is there any real difference between the two ? Presumably, the present nominal truce is to be preferred, since it gives Count Bernadotte the chance to continue his negotiations, and there is always the possibility of his being able to achieve something ; the latest news gives fresh hope of peace in Jerusalem. He is still the only person of any authority who can move freely between Tel Aviv and the Arab capitals and be listened to with respect. But even the Count's optimism must be wearing thin, and the impression grows that he is now travelling with less defined purpose than he had a fortnight or three weeks ago. His task is being made more difficult by the meagre support which he seems to be getting from the United Nations. There is no real reason why France and the United States should have supplied less than their promised quota of officers as truce observers, or why the outstanding problem of the Arab refugees should be dealt with in such an irresolute fashion. In fact, this problem is not being dealt with at all. Yet it is clear that there can be no short-term or long-term settlement in Palestine as long as up to half a million Palestine Arabs remain refugees from their homes. Zionism, as a movement commanding humanitarian support, and the Jewish State, as an entity demanding international recognition, may well stand or fall by the way in which this problem is tackled. The present attitude of the Israeli authorities seems to be short-sighted and cynical. They appear to be chiefly set on divesting themselves from responsibility, and it is unfortunate that many of their argu- ments are tinged with the doctrines of expediency and exclusiveness which, in Europe, were responsible for the plight of the Jews them- selves. It may be true that the Arab States are slow and ineffective in dealing with the refugees in their midst (though this is far from the whole truth), but it is not surprising that they should see only one solution to the problem—the return of the refugees to their national home which even Zionists cannot deny is Palestine.
