No. 59

Israel, just one year old last week, got exactly what it had wanted for a birthday present: membership in U.N. The General Assembly having voted it in, 37-to-12 (with nine abstentions), welcomed U.N.'s 59th member with a standing ovation, politely forgot that the Israelis had again & again been at outs with U.N. The Israelis had balked when U.N. demanded that Jerusalem be internationalized, balked again when they were told to take back Palestine's Arab refugees.

At Lake Success last week, Israel's dapper little Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett* quoted the prophet Isaiah: "Lo yissa goy el goy herev welo yilmdu od milhama [Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more]." Delegate after delegate shook Sharett's hand, patted him on the back; one even kissed him on both cheeks. No handshakes or kisses were offered by the Arab delegates who, furious over Israel's admission, had stalked out of the Assembly. Next day they were back, still fuming. A bunch of New York City Zionists, adding insult to injury, had pelted an Arab delegation car with eggs.

*Formerly known as Shertok, which in his Russian mother tongue sounds like "little devil." The new name he recently adopted means "servant" in Hebrew.

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