Purely Commentary
The Danger of an 'Evaporating' Friendship
As is well known, war correspondents were friendly to Israel. Having been on the
spot, witnessing Israel's sincere desire to re-establish friendships and to build a lasting
peace for all peoples in the Mediterranean, they admired the fighters for freedom and
the defenders of their land. But there is always the danger of "evaporation." Magnus
Turnstil, writing in the New Statesman of London, indicated last week when he wrote
as part of his report:
"Editorially, the big press shaded off from the strictly neutral to the frankly
pro-Israel. 'The whole situation ... has been completely transformed—and for the
better!' announced the EXPRESS on 8 June, and next day the TELEGRAPH con-
cluded: 'The West must be profoundly grateful to Israel for doing, against its
earnest advice, what it shrank from doing for itself.' Almost the whole press, how-
ever, cautioned Israel to take it easy. On 13 June reaction to Mr. Eshkol's 'we-
shall-not-go-back' speech was mixed. The MAIL devoted the leader column to a
eulogy of Israel's record in developing her own territory and helping Afro-Asian
states to develop theirs, with the moral that it would be to the benefit of the Arabs
to 'drop their senseless ostracism. The EXPRESS came out with a five-point peace
plan, mostly devised to satisfy Israeli security needs but hedging with the diplo-
matic phrase: 'There would also need to be some clarification of Israel's frontier
with Jordan.' Except of course for the STAR, the strongest criticism of Israel's
position was in THE TIMES: 'These are conqueror's terms.' Significantly or not,
THE TIMES that day published a fiercely anti-Israeli cartoon, in which General
Dayan was shown turning his Nelsonian blind eye to pitable civilians. Is admiration
for Israeli heroism already evaporating?"
This business of evaporation can affect Jewish communities as well. There is
always the possibility of a decline in politcal acton, of a reduction of interest that might
affect generosity in helping the afflicted people of Israel and a complacency that could
reduce presesure upon Congressonal leaders and statesmen for action to avert another
sell-out so that there may not even be any peace talks but a mere stalemate. This must
be avoided. Unless all remain on guard, Nasser, who has lost wars but has won all
diplomatic victories, may emerge anew as a victor against the entire world. Let's not
forge this threatening danger.
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The Equating of Vietnam With Israel
Is Israel affected by the Vietnam situation? The two issues have been equated so
freely that a clear explanation is vitally needed.
The Nation, in a recent issue, carried this editorial under the heading "What Dou-
ble Standard?"
Predictably, the hawk columnists and editorial writers, together with their
coadjutors in the Johnson Administration, sensed a heaven-sent opportunity in the
outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East. One White House spokesman is supposed
to have circulated an aphorism of his own making: "The doves on Vietnam are
hawks in Israel." In eight words, he managed to distort the truth about as far as it
can be twisted. Following his lead, or exercising their own considerable talents in
that direction, the commentators let loose on the Vietnamese "doves" with a bar-
rage of accusations of "inconsistency," "double standard," etc. At last they could
go on the offensive.
Actually, nothing could be clearer than the unlikeness of the situations in the
Middle East and Southeast Asia. In Vietnam the United States intervened gratui-
tously and, after failing to save Vietnam for French colonialism, sabotaged the
Geneva accords and took over the war against the Vietnamese people. In the
Middle East, Israel is a creation of the United Nations and, be it said to their credit,
of Britain and the United States. Being responsible for its existence, the UN is
surely responsible for its survival. This applies to the Soviet Union as well as the
United States. The latter has recognized its obligation, verbally at least, while the
Russians saw a chance to make trouble for us in an area close to their borders, as
we had made trouble for them in Vietnam. llowever indefensible the Russian
tactics may be, the UN-U.S. obligation is clear, the more so because the abrupt
withdrawal of the UN forces gave Nasser the opportunity to precipitate the crisis.
To run out on the issues in Vietnam, to lessen the pressures to end that execr-
able war, as a quid pro quo to induce the Johnson Administration to take stronger
action in the Middle East, would be morally despicable and politically stupid. Mau-
rice N. Eisendrath, president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregatioins, put
the case forcefully last winter in a letter to President Johnson. "... great numbers
of my fellow Jews in America," Rabbi Eisendrath wrote, "the greater number I do
believe, will not sacrifice their moral convictions concerning the evils of this par-
Equated Issues Dragged Into Middle East
Situations . . . Israel's Role ... Non-Jews' Aid
By Philip
Slomovitz
criticized in this Council. This is a world body and we are not immune to that. But what
is immune from consideration by this Council is the attitude of our own citizens in the
exercise of their constitutional rights to have a point of view, any point of view, that
they may have in terms of their exercise of their democratic rights of citizens."
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This reply was too gentlemanly for the bigots who came to the international tri-
bunal to inject venom into the debates. Ambassador Goldberg stood his ground so well
that the above statement deserves preservation, for use by others who may not have as
much courage as he had displayed in the face of unspeakable antagonism to him at the
UN.
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UAW International's Position On Middle East Peace
Labor leaders remain among our most dedicated friends and among Israel's most
valiant defenders.
At the quarterly meeting of the UAW International Executive Board, in Toronto,
June 16, a strong stand was taken in support of direct Israel-Arab negotiations for
peace in the Middle East.
A lengthy, well prepared resolution which reviewed the situation pointed to the
tragedy of war and indicated the need for Arabs and Israelis to discuss the issues in-
volved among themselves. The resolution concluded with the following declaration:
"There can be no basis for peace between Israel and the Arab nations without a firm and
open acceptance by all of the right of each nation and its people to exist. Basis to this funda-
mental principle is the right of each nation to free and innocent access to and passage through
International waterways essential to world commerce and national survival. This specifically in-
cludes access and passage through the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aqaba.
be an
"The right of a people not to be strangulated is not a negotiable matter. It must
uncontested right underscored and guaranteed by the community of world natitons.
"The world anxiously awaits an ex-tension of the current precarious cease fire into a ne-
the Mddle East. If his hope is to be
gotiated nd
p trea tin a mon g the nation s of entered
a durable eace
into through voluntary negotia-
achieved, it must be anchored in agreements directly
tions between Israel and each of her Arab neighbors. Tempting as it may be to certain world
powers, history, none-the-kw, tragically reveals that the terms of a just and lasting peace can-
not be imposed from without.
"It is also equally clear that a return to past formulas on the terms of the 1949 or 1956 settle-
ments which have demonstrated their own weakness and unworkability and finally ended in
hostilities is not the answer. Such difficult issues which involve questions of national security,
boundaries and borders, resettlement of refugees and other matter can best be settled through
direct negotiations. In such direct confrontation there can evolve a realization that each has
more in common than in conflict.
'To achieve this will require a turn away from an ever escalating and devastating arm,
race, which has been encouraged by the major powers, and a turn toward a common effort to
develop the vast economic and social resources of the entire region and its people. The desert
thirsts for water which can make it bloom. Parched and rocky hillsides can become lush with
orchards and vineyards. Disease and illiteracy, which have been the historic legacy of vast
areas of the Middle East, can be eliminated. It is toward these tasks of economic development
and a common effort to raise living standards that each nation in the region should devote its
energies and resources.
"The war has disrupted and seriously threatens the economies of many of the countries
of the Middle East. If chaos and political instability are to be avoided. substantial external econ-
omic assistance must be mobilized and diverted to the region. The United Nations. rather than
become embroiled in fruitless recriminations which can only further inflame passions in the
the
area and further divide people and nations, shotzld concentrate its energies and efforts on
creation of a special UN Economic and Social Development Authority for the Middle East to
spearhead the urgent tasks confronting the people of the entire region. Such rewarding peaceful
efforts should command the generous and wholehearted support of all nations.
toward
'The need is for a sustained period of calm and serious and direct negotiations pointed a drive
a settlement of major issues and regional economic cooperation to stimulate growth and
toward improved health, education and higher living standards.
"This region. which has contributed so much to the cultural heritage of civilized man, can
must find its way to contribute equally to man's search for peace and justice.'
Basic factors in the situation are taken into account here. It is to be hoped that the
fearless international diplomatic quarters will recognize the validity of the points ad-
vanced in this statement.
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A Message From Robert St. John
ticular war in Vietnam to be at ease in Zion or in America."
There is need for proper evaluation of the issues and the Nation has earned
commendation for having provided the much-needed clarification.
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Robert St. John is a genuine newspaperman. When trouble began to brew in the
Middle East, he left for Israel immediately. He sends us this message:
"Greetings from an Israeli military plane flying low over the Sinai desert. I am
enroute along with 20 other picked correspondents (there are 600 here) to the Suez to
watch the final batch of 1,200 Egyptian prisoners being sent across to Nasser. Below,
littered all over the desert, are thousands of burned-out, overturned, bombed, aban-
doned, wrecked, torn, twisted tanks, trucks, artillery pieces, fuel tankers, road levelers,
bulldozers, steamrollers, passenger cars—the hardware of war ... now the GARBAGE
of war ... an ugly sight. After seeing this as well as Gaza and the Old City and Beth.-
leheam and Nablus and Jericho and Ramallah, I predict that the Middle East will never
be the same again, regardless of what is said or done on the East River in New York."
It's a view not to be ignored. If only Israel would be permitted to deal directly with
the Arabs, to handle the refugee problem! If only the maligning regarding Israel's
unfairness to their neighbors could be exposed to the full light of day! It'll be a difficult
task, but we are fortunate that good friends like Bob St. John are on the spot to tell the
truth. And if we do not tire too easily perhaps even the biased on the East River will
hesitate before they act unjustly.
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A Statement Deserving of Preservation
The Vital Tourist Income for Israel
On numerous occasions during the United Nations sessions, U. S. Ambassador
Arthur Goldberg was subjected to abuses of a most shocking nature.
Arab speakers did not hesitate to resort to "dual allegiance" charges, and the Rus --
sian delegate was totally lacking in good manners when he dared ask whether Goldberg
spoke for Israel rather than his own country.
Thereupon Ambassador Goldberg made this reply:
"There is a statement which I must reject with great emphasis because it relates to
the essential fabric of our society, and that is a statement charging that any citizen of
the United States has double loyalty to his country because he has attachments to his
ancestral home. That is the implication, I take it, of the Ambassador's remark.
"Our country is a pluralistic society. We draw our citizenry from virtually every
country on the face of the globe. This is the source of our strength as a nation from
which we derive the virility of American life in our culture. in our institutions, in our
tradtions, in all that we do. We do not accept this concept that because our citizens,
whatever their faith or religion, or ancestral origin may be, have an interest in their
ancestral homes, that this is a sign of double loyalty or lack of attachment to our Ameri-
can institution.
"I served in President Kennedy's administration. One of the finest features of that
administration in terms of world interest was the visit he made his ancestral home. That
was applauded by all Americans regardless of their faith or of their religion or their
tradtions or their background.
"I regret that Ambassador Tomeh does not understand our country, although he
has lived here a long time. Our citizens are loyal to our country and his references to
the attitudes of our citizens, as I said the other day, are completely out of order. I
would have challenged that statement and asked for a ruling that it is out of order, but
I thought we ought to hear him out because I believe in free speech profoundly for any
member of the United Nations. But I do wish to state that it is untenable for members
of the United Nations to intervene in our domestic affairs. That we reject as completely
untenable. We would not assume to do that with respect to any country in the world.
We would not assume to do it with respect to his country, which has several elements
of religion and tradition. We simply cannot accept it as the appropriate thing to say
about our country and we do not accept it.
"As I said the other day, our policies can be approved or disapproved, praised or
2—Friday, June 30, 1967
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
The skeptics have predicted that it will take Israel three years to emerge from the
economic crisis into which the people have been thrown by the war. It's possible that
this is grossly exaggerated. With the aid of American and world Jewries, perhaps
relief will come speedily.
A reality to be taken into consideration is that Israel has been affected by a tem-
porary loss from the tourist industry. Israel's income from tourism has risen to $60,-
000,000 a year. This was suddenly cut off. It was affected by the U.S. ban on travel to
Israel. The ban has been lifted. Now it is vital that tourism should commence anew.
There are new sights to be seen, new interest is aroused by the reunion of the
parted sections of Jerusalem, the Tomb of Rachel can be visited again. Those traveling
to Hebron have a chance to see the historic biblical city where a massacre of yeshiva
students in 1929 practically ended Jewish activities in that area.
There is no doubt that tourism will begin again. It must!
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Comparative Figures
In its splendidly compiled four-page section on the Middle East the Detroit Free
Press rendered a particular service by indicating the comparative areas occupied by
Israel and the Arab states.
Israel, the Free Press charts showed, had, at the outbreak of war on June 5, an
area of 7,993 square miles.
The combined areas of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, Iraq and
Lebanon is 1,547,732 square miles. Only Lebanon, with 4,000 square miles, is smaller
than Israel. And Lebanon alone has not waged war with Israel!
Jordan, too, could have avoided war, had Hussein listened to the plea front Israel
not to send its army against the Israelis!
In spite of Israel's being a mere speck on the Middle East map, the Arabs begrudge
her even this little breathing space! What justice!
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Only Romania Defies the USSR
It is heartening to know that at least one communist-oriented country, Romania,
has defected and has defied Russia by urging direct Arab-Israel talk.
In view of recent Israel-Romanian trade agreements and other friendly negotiations,
this was expected. But it is not enough. The final vote at the UN will indicate whether
the friendship of Israel with Afro-Asian nations was genuine.