Editorial Note
In a cablegram of July 9 to Secretary-General Lie, the Mediator transmitted the Arab reply to his proposals for a prolongation of the truce. The reply noted the “impossibility of persuading Jewish minority to abandon political ambitions … and its determination to impose its will by force and terrorism on the overwhelming majority of inhabitants of country … coupled with its violations of conditions of truce and utilization of interval as means for intensification of aggression against Arabs and for over-flooding country with continuous flow of immigrants, all these factors make it imperative for Arab States not to agree to prolongation of truce under present conditions and to take all measures necessary to bring these conditions to end. This, however, should not shut door in face of further efforts by Mediator, nor should it preclude whatever proposals His Excellency may put forth in that capacity.” The full text of the cablegram is [Page 1202] printed in SC, 3rd yr., Supplement for July 1948, page 31.
The Mediator sent a second cable to Mr. Lie on July 9, which contained his appeal to all interested parties for acceptance of an unconditional ceasefire in Palestine for a ten-day period; for text, see ibid., page 33.