683.84A/4–1051
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs (Berry)1
Subject: Visit of Israel Ambassador
| Participants: | H.E. Abba Eban, Ambassador of Israel |
| NEA—Mr. Berry | |
| NE—Mr. Lewis Jones | |
| NE—Mr. Waldo |
The Ambassador called at his own request to make some further remarks on the Israel-Syria border situation.
The Ambassador said that he had recently been in touch with General Riley in New York on the Israel–Syria situation. The General had agreed that it was unfortunate that the dispute should come before the Security Council. The General considered that this problem could be worked out in the Mixed Armistice Commission. Israel was quite willing to negotiate the problem in the MAC providing that Col. Bossavy was replaced as Chairman. Israel had had at least the right to expect a “show of gallantry” from Col. Bossavy at the time of the shooting of the seven policemen.
The Ambassador said that he considered uncalled for the release to the press of Mr. McGhee’s remarks as summarized in the aide-mémoire given Mr. Keren on Saturday.2 When Israel had submitted notes to the Department, Israel representatives made a practice of consulting with the Department before releasing them to the press. He would have hoped that Israel would have merited reciprocal treatment on this occasion. With regard to the press account itself, it had interpreted Mr. McGhee’s remarks as a rebuke to Israel in according Israel the largest measure of responsibility for the border situation. He denied that the onus lay with Israel and claimed that continuous Syrian violence along Israel’s borders which had culminated in the shooting of the seven policemen, had compelled Israel to take punitive action.
I told the Ambassador that we could only repeat our position as it had been expressed in the aide-mémoire. It had been decided to release our views to the press because of the depth of our concern over the dangerous potentialities of the border situation and because of repeated inquiries from the press. In considering that the shooting of the policemen had not warranted the deliberate retaliatory bombing of Syrian soil, we had not attempted to pass judgment on the question of the dispute over the Demilitarized Zone. It was hoped that a proper discussion of this matter could take place in the SC.
[Page 633]The Ambassador then informed me that there had been another border clash in which Arabs in the village of Nuqueib had shot at Israel civil police while the latter were performing their routine duties.
Mr. Jones said that we would inquire of our missions concerning this incident.