UNITED NAT/ON.S Distr. SE,CURITY GENERAL 8/3685 COUNCil 18 Octobe;r 1956 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH LETI'ER FROM THE SEaRETARY-GENERAL TO TBEPRESIDENT OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL, TRAN~Tl'ING A: .REPORT DATED 17 OCTOBER 1956 .b'ROM MM'cm-GENERAL E.L~M.BURNS, CHIEF OF STAFF OF TEE UNITED NATIONS TRUCE SUPERVISION ORGANIZATION 17·October 1956 M1:'. President, By letter dated 26 September (8/3658) I drew the attention of the Security Co~npil to the latest developments alQng the Jordan-Israel Armistice Demarcation Line. I indicated that1 if the situatio~were ndt rapidly brought under control, the Security Council might have to take the matter up in order to reaffirm its policy as established :in previous' resol~tions a.?ci, .were the Council to find the continued deterioration to constitute a thr~at to peace, 'to decide on what further measures might be indicated. i On 27 September I submitted to the Security 'Council a repo;r~ dated 12 September (S/3659) w~th.a general ~~aluation of the ~ituation. To this report were ann.exed reports from the Chief of Staff covering i.a. freedom of movement of United Nations observers, ~d related matters, and the developmen~s in the area surrounding the Gaza Strip. 'The same day I also circulated to. the Security Council a report from the Chief of ptaff concerning incidents on the Jordan-Israel Armistice Demarcation Line (S/3660). Following up the aforementioned r~ports and my preVious letter I SUbmit, annexed to this letter, a report of the Chief. of Staff, da'bed rt October, on the incident which took place on the night oflO/Il October and which reflects a further deterioration of the situation. I wish in this context to draw attention also to the report to the Secretary-General by the Chief of Staff da.ted 11 October 1956, circulated as 56-27323 -~-~----------------~-~\~ S/3685. English Page 2 document S/3670~ In this document:the Chief of staff, referring a1.so to incident!3 which preceded the incident of 10/U October", states thatl at present, the situation is that one of tlie parties to th,e General .Armistice .Agreement makes its own investigations", which are not- and cannot be made • subject to check or confirmation 'b,1 the, United Nations observers, publishes the ~esults of such investigations", ~s Ita own conclusions from them and undertakes actions by its military forces on that basis. I endorse the view of the Chief of Staff that this is a dangerous'" negation of vital elements of the Armistice Agreement. It represents a further step in the direction of a limitation of the functions of the United Nations Truce SUperVision Organizatipn, indicated alreadY in my report of 12 September, circulated 0027 september. Beyond drawing again the a.ttention of the Security Oouncil to these var,ious developments Which, in ~ view, req~'a the most serious consideration by the Oouncil" I would, for the present, l;tm;Lt ~self to noting that clear and';'tirm lines are established by the Oouncil.' in respect of, on the one side, ,the need for an efficient observer organ~~ation, and, on the other side, the condemnation of all acts of violence, with the single ~~ception of such acts as constitute acts of selt-defence under Article 51 of the Charter. Accept, Sir, the assurance of ~ highest consideration. (Signed) Dag Hammarskj old ~cret~-General S/3685 English Page :3 RI!lPORT DATED 17 OCTOBER 1956' TO' THE SEOlTh"'TARY­ GENERAL FROM. MAJOR·qENERAL E. L. M. BURNS, ORIEF OF STAFF OF THE UNITED NATIONS TRUCE SUPERIfISION ORGANIZATION IN PALESTINE, CONCERNING THE QALQILIYA INCIDENT OF' 10/11 OCTOBER 1956 1. The following report on the attacl{ carried out by Israeli forces at Ql:\lqiliya during ~he night of 10/11 October 1956 is based on tbe investigation by' United Nations Military Observers on 'che o.ayfollowing the attack. (Developments under the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan-Israel Gene~al Armistice Agreement which preceded t~e Israeli attack were reported under date of 11 October*). 2. The Is'rsel delegation to the Hashemite Jordan Kingdom-Israel Mixed Armistice Commission was' ropres'ented at the meeting of the aubconnnittee which set up the investigertion of the Qalqiliya incident. The investigation vTaS carried out on the Jordanian side of the Demarcation Lire by United Nations Military Observers with t~e co-operation of the Jordanian delegation. 3w According to the statemen'b which the Jordanian officer in charge of the Qalqiliya police post made to United Nations Military Observers on 11 October a large Israeii force, travelling in about .30 v,ehiqles, approached the poli.ce post from a northerly direction at about 1930 G. M. T. (~be police post .is approXimately one kilometre north of the village of Qalqiliya and approximately 500 metres south and 800 metres east of the Demarcat;i:onLine); On arriv~l, :the Israel;!. ,forces attacked the POf'lt with stnall arms and .automat1cweapon6~ At 1950 G.M.T. intense artillery fire was opened on the post from west and north. The twenty policemen and the platoon of. N~tional Guardsmen in the post then returned the fire. Under cover of a,rt:i.llery·and smaJ,l arms fire, the attacking force gained entry into the post, illflictingca's'ualties among the defenders" some of 'Whom managed to escape, including the officer in charge of' the post., Some time after midnight, the police post was tota:J:iy demolished by explosives. The shelling of the village of Qalqiliya, ~hich had commenced earlier, continued until about 0220 G.M.T. ' (See paragraphs 6 and 15-17 below for evidence seen by the United Nations Military Observers). S/3685 English PaGe L~ 4. According to the sta.tement given to the Military Obsel"vers by a Jordan Army Major, he was informed of attaclton the police J?ost at 1930 G.M~T. He arrived at I01an Sufin with reinforcements in several vehicles, after having been fil'ed upon from an ambush in Nabi-Ilyas area where some casualties were sustained. (Khan Sufin is. about one Idlometre southeast of Qalqiliya police post and on Qalqiliya-Azzun road. Nabi-Ilyas is about five kilometres east of the village of . Q.alqiliya on the same road). The Jordan Army Major then observed that one Israeli force was advancing from south and west in the. direction of the police post. On I '. ,reaching the post, it remained,otltside until approximately 2300 G.M.. T• At about that same time another force in about twelve vehicles, includ~ngthreehalf-tracks, arrived in the area southwest of Khan Sufin and attacked the post from that area. Following the blowi.ng up of the post, the latte~ force proceeded in the direction of Jordan Army reinforcements at KhanSufin who fired upon them as they travelled in the direction of the Demarcation Line, disabling one of their vehicles. The latter was subsequently towed away by Israeli half-tracks which returned to the scene where the v~hicle had been disabled. There was an action in which hand grenades and small arms were used between a part of this, Israeli force and the Jordan Army reinforcements at Khan SUfin, who were shelled later from west of Qalqiliya, until firing ceased at 0220 G.M.T. (See paragraphs 8-14 inclusive for e~id~nce seen by United ~ations Military Observers). 5. The first witness testified that he Saw "one or two" aircraft in the area while the second witness testified that he saw t~'10 aircraft coming from westerly direction. Both.witnesses stated that aircraft dropped bombs. 6. An inhabitant of Qalqiliya village informed .United Nations Military Observers that a shell exploded on the roof of her house at about 2000 G.M.T., killing one young child and injuring the mother and two other children, one critically. The body.of the child who was killed and the three injured persons were seen by Military Observers. S/;685 English Page 5 7. United, Nations Military Observers carried out an on-tne-spot investigation of (1) Azz.un village (8.5 kilometres east of Qalqiliya); (~) the area of Nabi-Ilyasj <:5) Khan Sutin; (4) Qalqiliya police post and adjacent water pU!llping house; (5) village'of Qalqil1ya. They also visited Qalqil:i,ya Hospital to inspect casualties·. 8. At Azzuu village United NationS Military Opservers viewed the evacuation of apprOXimately twenty wotmded Jordan Army personnel. Fragments of shells were a;Lso seen in the village. 9. At MR. 1532-1765 (about 1400 metres east of Nabi-Ilyas .on the Qalqiliya-Azzun road), United Nations Military Observel's saw one a.rrnoured car overturned and one truck complete.lydestroyed. The vehicle.s appeared to have been disabled by. artillery. 10. At MR. 1530-1765 (200 metres west of above point) Vnit.ed Nations Mil:ttary Observers saw'wha.t appeared to be. liJ.ll ambush position. In the area were one destroyed 3-ton truck with thirteen Jordanian bodies, all badly burnt, in or near the vehicle. Considerable infan'cryequipment with Hebrew markings was found in the. imlllediate vicini"by. One unexplodedIsraeli hand grenade was found in the vehicle. Also in the same area were one extensively damaged 3-ton truck and one Land Rover.• lL, At MR. 1528-1765 (200 metres further west) United. Nations Military Obse:t'vers saw one damaged Land Rover and the body of one Jordan Arrrsv soldier. 12. 100 metres west of above point the Military Observers saw one damaged Land Rover and the bodies of two Jordan ~.my soldiers (one officer and one private).