The 90-day ceasefire accepted by Egypt, Israel and Jordan went into effect on Friday night and the guns have stopped firing in the Suez Canal sector. So far so good. Since Syria and the Palestinian guerillas have rejected the cease-fire, military activity can be expected to continue on the Syrian, Lebanese and Jordanian fronts. But it is the Suez front that is the most sensitive, carrying the danger, ever since Soviet combat pilots took a hand in Egypt’s defence, of the conflict escalating into a direct confrontation, between the U.S. and Russia. It was evidently this danger that ultimately made the two superpowers join hands in a major effort to reverse the gears. The cease-fire is no doubt the product of American initiative but it could not have come about without Soviet co-operation. President Nasser agreed to it only under Russian persuasion. At the same time, it has to be recognised that Mr. Nasser and Mrs. Golda Meir acted with courage and realism in accepting the American proposals. They had to make that decision in the face of severe opposition from important allies.
