Speech #810196233

The Egyptian forces are in occupation of a narrow strip of land about 24 miles long and 5 miles wide on the coast contiguous to the most settled part of Israel called the Gaza Strip. while the forces of Jordan control the ancient city of Jerusalem as well as most of the rest of Palestine outside of Israel: In addition to the territory assigned by the UN partition resolution. Israel as a result of the armistice agreements holds western Galilee and the new city of Jerusalem. a city which was developed primarily by the Jews durIng the last 70 years. The other external factor of major importance is the presence of 726.000 Arab refugees from what is now the territory of Israel and who left that area when the Arab armies began their invasion in the early fall of 1948 at the behest of the fanatical Arab leaders who had sparked the invasion. These refugees are largely concentrated in Arab Palestine outside Israel. in the Gaza Strip referred to above. and in Lebanon and Syria. Their condition is one of privation as the Arab states have refused to accept any major responsibility for them and they have been left largely to international care through the United Nations. The United Nations Economic Survey Commission for the Middle East. appointed by the UN to consider the situation. under the chairmanship of Gordon R. Clapp of the United States. found that there were 652.000 of such cases needing care and maintenance and that this could best be accomplished under a $54.900.000 program for works projects and care and maintenance to which the United States was invited to contribute 50 percent. Israel. too. is inundated by refugees. its population has almost doubled since May 1948. and some 90.000 Jewish refugees from Europe. north Africa. and the Arab states are living in canvas tentcamps under conditions of hardship in Israel. Surprisingly enough the state of tension which I have described is not especially highlighted by the situation in Jerusalem for both Israel and Jordan which divide the city between their forces appear to take it for granted that the United Nations proposal for internationalization is so impractical that it cannot be implemented. The whole machinery of government and administration and the whole economy of the new city are established as part of Israel and the 95 percent of its population which is Jewish has too freshly in mind its near obliteration by the invading Arab armies in 1948 to take any chances on internationalization.