Israel's Candidature
Israel's application for membership of the United Nations received a chillier reception than had been expected and, as a result, has been referred back to the Political Committee of the Assembly for further consideration. There was a widespread feeling, by no means con- fined to the Arab States, that more needs to be known about Israel's intentions on certain points before the final seal is given to her international position. Does she, for example, propose to do any- thing about the Arab refugees except quibble ? Was the round-up of the Stern Gang which followed Count Bernadotte's assassination just a piece of window-dressing, or is there still a serious intention to bring the murderers of the United Nations mediator to book ? Does Israel mean to block or to co-operate with the United Nations plans for the internationalisation of Jerusalem ? The last of these three questions brings up the problem of Israel's frontiers, and there is every reason for postponing a decision on Israel's candidature until these have been finally settled. Belief is general in the Middle East that the days of Israel's conquests are by no means at an end, and that, perhaps in a few months, perhaps not for a few years, she will try to annexe the fragment of Palestine which is left to the Arabs. These fears may be exaggerated, but there is nothing in the recent history of Israel and her leaders to make them improbable. If they are realised, the victim would be Transjordan, the only major Arab State which is still not a member of the United Nations, and it would therefore be unwise to allow Israel's membership to ante- date that of Transjordan. There will be a chance next week for Israel to show how far she is prepared to go in working out a genuine settlement for the Middle East, for peace talks are due to start at Lausanne on Tuesday, under the auspices of the United Nations Conciliation Committee. Until something positive emerges at Lausanne there is every reason to go slow at Lake Success.
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