Speech #900086690

I was fortunate enough to be the first Member of Congress to enter Jordan after the war. While in Jordan. I spoke with the Prime Minister and other high officials and visited several of the temporary camps where an estimated 180.000 to 200.000 new refugees are kept in camps that defy description in misery and human degradation. Men. women and children ar huddled on the hot and burning sand with but few meager possessions or clothing. many being without even a small tent or cooking utensils. There are no sanitation facilities and little water. In Israel. I spoke with Israel leaders such as Abba Eban. the Foreign Minister. and Ted Kollek. the mayor of Jerusalem. and others. I also visited the now virtually empty Jericho refugee camp on the west bank of the Jordan and later inspected the vast refugee area in Gaza. a vast concentration camp on the sand. if you will. I returned from my conversations with Arab and Israeli leaders and from my visits to refugee camps with one dominant impression. it was that a willingness on the part of Israel to deal with the refugee problem in a magnanimous and humane way could be a smallbut enormously criticalstep toward peace in the Middle East. I believe that this is true regardless of the political future of the newly occupied areas. Indeed. I am convinced that the refugee problem and a political settlement in the Middle East are so tightly entwined that a political settlement is impossible without progress on the refugee problem. I think this connection between the refugee problem and a political settlement is realized in Tel Aviv. however dimly at this moment. and perhaps also in the Arab countries. Let there be no mistake. Israel has taken on an enormous responsibilty in assuming over 500.000 refugees--that is a number which represents roughly 20 percent of Israels entire population. In the United States. a comparable action would be for the U.S. Government to suddenly acquire 40.000.000 basically untrained. unlettered. and fearful new citizens. Thus. for better or worse. Israel will never quite be the same if it assumes responsibility for these refugees. Over the next few months. Israel faces a number of important decisions that could affect the whole future of the Middle East. I refer to the immediate problem of handling the some 180.000 refugees from the west bank of Jordan who fled into east Jordan during fighting. and to the other thousands in the valley and in Gaza who did not flee. The whole world is now watching how Israel will handle this first test of its declared policy to approach the refugee problem in a humane and magnanimous fashion. Thus far. despite Israels assurances that it would allow refugees to return to their homes over the Jordan River between July 10 and August 10. both the planning and execution of this commitment have been unfortunately Inadequate. After talking to Arab and Israel officials last week. I came to the conclusion that planning was insufficient and that something needed to be done if the refugees were to return in an expeditious fashion. On the basis of my own observations. I therefore urged Jordanian and Israel officials to facilitate the return of these refugees to their former camps on the west bank. UNRWA officials have also urged such a return. Also. on July 8. I sent a cable to President Johnson and to the Secretary of State Dean Rusk. which I will read to the Senate at this time: Mr. President. have made inquiry into new refugee problem cause by MidEast War. Visited Beirut to confer with CommissionerGeneral of UNRWA. Jordan and Israel. In Jordan I spoke with Prime Minister and visited temporary camps where some estimated 180.000 new or displaced refugees from Jordan West Bank are In condition of human suffering that defies description. Upon my own I have urged Jordanian officials to insist that these refugees return to their former camps on the West Bank. Jordanian officials agree. UNRWA officials have urged such return.