Memorandum Expressing Israel Opposition Repatriation of Refugees
(November 14, 1961)
This memorandum highlights Israel's desire to reject
Arab repatriation, their decision to push for the relocation within
other Arab nations' borders, and America's position in relation to trying
to settle the dispute.
Washington, November 14, 1961.
/1/Source: Department of State, Central Files, 325.84/11-1461. Confidential.
Drafted by Hamilton on November 16. The source text is labeled "Part
II of IV." Three other memoranda of conversation cover the discussion
on the Jerusalem question (ibid., 784A.00/11-1461); the Israeli nuclear
reactor (ibid., 884A.1901/11-1461); and the location of U.S.-Israeli
P.L. 480 negotiations (ibid., 411.84A41/11-1461). A briefing memorandum,
prepared by the Office of Near Eastern Affairs, for Talbot's use during
the meeting is ibid., 784A.00/11-1461.
SUBJECT
Israel Position Re Arab Refugees
PARTICIPANTS
Ambassador Avraham Harman of Israel
Mr. Mordechai Gazit, Minister, Embassy of Israel
Mr. Shaul Bar-Haim, First Secretary, Embassy of Israel
NEA--Assistant Secretary Phillips Talbot
NEA/NE--William L. Hamilton
Mr. Talbot told the Ambassador that the Department is apprehensive
about the effect on the Arab refugee problem which may result from Foreign
Minister Meir's address to the Israel Knesset and the Knesset's resolution
rejecting the principle of Arab repatriation./2/ In discussions with
the Foreign Minister during his recent visit to the Near East,/3/ Mr.
Talbot said, he had assumed her tacit agreement to his statement that
U.S. preparations for U.N. consideration of the problem are still guided
by the President's conversation with Prime Minister Ben-Gurion./4/ Mrs.
Meir's speech and the resolution are a different tack. The resolution
does not make Dr. Johnson's labors easier and may be a complicating
factor in the U.N. Despite these developments, however, the Department
still assumes that the United States can rely on the Prime Minister's
remarks to the President as a foundation from which to plan further
steps. He recalled that a number of conversations between Ambassador
Harman and State Department officials, including Assistant Secretary
Cleveland, had encouraged the Department to believe the Prime Minister's
position as outlined to the President remains unchanged.
/2/On November 6, the Israeli Knesset adopted a resolution, introduced
by the Mapai Party, that approved a position on the Palestinian refugee
question, presented initially on October 11 by Prime Minister Ben Gurion
and reiterated by Foreign Minister Meir on November 6. The position,
which was to serve as guidance for the Israeli Delegation to the United
Nations, stipulated that the Palestinian refugees should not be returned
to Israeli territory and that the sole solution to the refugee problem
was the resettlement of the refugees in Arab countries. The Embassy
in Tel Aviv conveyed a summary of Ben Gurion's speech on October 13
in telegram 254 (ibid., 325.84/10-1261); a summary of Meir's speech
in telegram 321, November 7 (ibid., 884.411/11-761); and the text of
the Knesset resolution in telegram 323, November 8 (ibid., 325.84/11-861).
/3/Reported in telegram 307 from Tel Aviv, November 1. (Ibid., 325.84/11-161)
/4/See Document 57.
Ambassador Harman commented that the Knesset is a sovereign body whose
actions he could only report, not presume to analyze. However, two years
ago he had made clear that Israel could not be expected to hold its
tongue, in the interests of avoiding controversy, if the Arabs insisted
on making political capital of the issues. The President's message to
Arab heads of state and its reference to the refugees had been a prelude
to a series of hostile statements by Arab politicians. He mentioned,
among others, a September pronouncement by President Nasser that if
the Arab refugees returned Israel would cease to exist. He cited as
particularly noxious statements by Jordan Prime Minister Talhouni, by
King Saud addressing a group of pilgrims to Mecca, and by Emile Ghoury.
In his view nothing in Mrs. Meir's address to the Knesset conflicts
with the viewpoints she expressed to Dr. Johnson either in Jerusalem
or New York. He drew attention to her reiteration of the GOI's willingness
to discuss compensation outside the framework of a general settlement
and her statement that the problem is not the question of the return
of "not a single refugee" but of resettlement.
Ambassador Harman said his Government is deeply concerned with the
apparent evolution in the status of the Palestine Arab delegation, which
seems to be uniting diverse elements that the Arab states are prepared
to sponsor as one group for the Political Committee debate. He emphasized
that last year a somewhat smaller group had been presented as "a"
Palestine refugee delegation; this year's version is described as "The"
Palestine Arab delegation. He implied that Israel fears the United States
is according the group more recognition than in previous years. If this
trend is encouraged, he declared, he sees little chance for a quiet
debate in a minor key, which he understands is a United States aspiration.
Mr. Talbot said he shares Israel's fears that prospects of a quiet
discussion are diminishing, observing he is not certain he knows either
Arab or Israel intentions. The Knesset resolution and the Ambassador's
own remarks suggest a hardening of the Israel position. Moreover, both
the PCC and its Special Representative see evidence that Israel is less
flexible than earlier hoped. He recalled Ambassador Harman's often repeated
desire for eschewing a "numbers game" approach to the question
of Arab repatriation, commenting he thinks Israel's categorical rejection
of the concept of return is a "numbers game" of a different
variety.
Ambassador Harman said study of Mrs. Meir's speech convinces him that
it was no more than a summation of her public position as expressed
in the past. He cautioned against reading too much into the Prime Minister's
remarks to the President. Mr. Talbot would recall the Prime Minister
expressed a great deal of skepticism about the steps proposed by the
United States, but had added if the United States felt obliged to go
ahead Israel would be as receptive as possible.
Ambassador Harman said that Shukairy's/5/ inscription as first speaker
in the debate is not a hopeful augury for moderate consideration of
the problem. He reported that Mrs. Meir is arriving in New York on November
19, hoping that the debate will have been completed in its major aspects
by the first week of December, inasmuch as she goes to Tanganyika for
its Independence Day on December 9. He concluded by saying that he hopes
to see Mr. Talbot again at an early time to discuss other elements of
the problem, including the status of the Palestinian "delegates";
and Israel's belief that a positive resolution might be the best way
to counter undesirable Arab proposals. He referred to the African suggestion
of a resolution calling for direct confrontation of the principals.
/5/Ahmad Shukairy, Saudi Arabian Representative to
the United Nations.
Sources: Foreign
Relations of the United States, 1961-1963: Near East, 1962-1963,
V. XVIII. DC: GPO,
2000. |