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UN Fea.rs Egypt's Demands' On Cmineil May Torpedo idrring iseac Missitmi

State Dept. Official Urges
Israel, Arabs to Be "Flexible"
on Peace Approaches
WASHINGTON, D.C. (JTA) —
Assistant Secretary of State Lucius
D. Battle, who is in charge of the
State Department's Near East divi-
sion, called on Israel and the Arab
states to be "flexible and moder-
ate" in their approach to peace
with "accommodation to the legiti-
mate interests and psychological
needs of the vanquished." The lat-
ter injunction, obviously addressed
In a letter to Secretary General to Israel, appeared to be an appeal
U Thant, Ambassador Yosef Te- to Jerusalem for flexibility on the
koah, head of the Israeli mission. issue of direct negotiations with
charged that the Egyptian govern- the Arabs.
ment's communications to the UN
Battle addressed the ninth an-
continue "to distort the facts and nual policy conference here of the
to propagate malicious interpreta- American - Israel Public Affairs
tions of the Israel government's Committee. President Johnson, in
policies." The Israeli envoy a message to the conference, re-
said "the recurring charges ad- peated his June 19, 1967 pledge
vanced by the permanent repre- that the United States would do
sentative of the United Arab Re- everything in its power to restore
public can be understood only in "peace and justice" to the Middle
context of his government's policy East.
of continued belligerency" and of
The conference, however, adopt-
"willful distortion" of the meaning
of the Security Council resolution . ed a policy statement insisting that
direct negotiations were the only
of last November.
effective method to achieve an
Tekoah stressed that the Israel Arab - Israel peace. It said that
government was responsible for neace depended primarily on the
the public administration and recognition by. Arab leaders of
maintenance of law and order in Israel's existence, of the futility of
the areas within the cease - fire further conflict and the benefits of
lines, adding: "It is my govern- mutual cooperation in the region.
ment's policy to do all that is nec-
Battle noted that the United Na-
essary and possible in order to tions' envoy. Dr. Gunnar Jarring.
ensure normal civilian life in these "is attempting to bridge the gap
areas." He said administrative between the disputants and the
measures recently adopted in the ' United States in urging the parties
occupied area "have no political concerned to be flexible and mod-
significance and are aimed solely ; erate and to take no actions which
at facilitating and legalizing exist- might imperil the mission of Am-
ing practices of freedom of move- bassador Jarring." He quoted
ment and trade."
President Johnson as appealing to
In another letter to the secre- ; both sides not to adopt rigid views
and urging that no method that
tary general, Tekoah replied to
might lead to peace be excluded
a Jordanian charge that Rouhi
from being tested.
Al-Kateb, "Mayor of Jerusalem,
was arbitrarily deported by the
Fresident Johnson stated in his
Israeli authorities." He said that
mssage, as he did last June 19,
Al-Khateb was a Jordanian na-
that "what will be truly decisive
tional and an appointee of the
in the Middle East will be what
Jordanian government who "had
is said and what is done by those
been an agent for that govern- 1 who live in the Middle East." He
ment in promoting tensions and
added: "I also pledge that the
public unrest behind the cease-
American government and the
fire lines between Jordan and
American peonle will do their
Israel."
part in every forum, at every
level, at every hour, to help re-
He declared that Al-Khateb's ac-
store the role of peace and just-
tivities continued after cessation
ice to those troubled lands. Your
of hostilities and acted as inter-
own deliberations are a signifi-
mediary for the illegal transmis-
cant contribution to the cause
sion and distribution of funds to
and I wish you the utmost suc-
promote breaches of public order.
cess."
Tekoah took note of the Jordanian
The conference policy statement
reference to "the national charac-;
ter of the city of Jerusalem" in its voiced alarm at the resupply of
complaint and reminded the secre- arms to the Arab states by the
tary general that "the overwhelm- Soviet Union and called on the
ing majority of the population of United States to furnish Israel with
Jerusalem is and has been for modern jets and arms to deter ag-
gression. It declared that future
generations Jewish."
Foreign Minister Abba Eban boundaries would be defined by
said that Israel was not initiating the states directly concerned. It
any move to bring the Middle East noted that in Jerusalem, the peo-
question back to the UN Security ple of Israel were reunited with
Council. But if Egypt does, he de- their ancient capital and would res-
clared, Israel was confident of the oect the holy places of all faiths.
support of world opinion. He The conference went on record in
termed hints by Egypt that it urging any program of compensa-
would be willing to implement the tion for Arab refugees must also
Security Council's Nov. 22, 1967 consider Jewish refugees from
Middle East resolution as an "in- Arab lands.
(Rep. Frank J. Brasco, N.Y.
ternational hoax and confidence
Dem., voiced opposition Tuesday
game." According to official Egyp-
to the shipment of arms to Jor-
tian spokesmen, he asserted, borne
dan by the United States, until
out by conversations with Ambas-
such time as Jordan agrees to
sador Jarring, Egypt would "imp-
discuss peace with Israel. He
lement" the resolution to its own
said that Russians had been sup-
interpretatit —without recognition
plying the Arab nations with all
of Israel. ithout an agreement,
types of military weapons and
without peace and without granting
"there is no good reason why
Israel's shipping freedon't of pass-
the United States should supple-
age through the Suez Canal. This
ment the war supplies." He as-
attitude, he said, was contrary to
serted that "by adding military
the basic provisions of the Nov. 22
supplies to the Arabs, we are
resolution and has been rejected
just pouring oil on troubled
by world opinion.
waters.")
Ile said that Israel had agreed
A Democratic Senator and two
to the freeing of 15 merchant ships
stranded in the Suez Canal since Republican Congressmen Monday
last June, but only if the vessels voiced growing concern over the
were restricted to the canal's lack of a firm U.S. commitment to
southern exit. He said that since Israel in the face of the increased
the time Egypt breached the cease Soviet political and military intrus-
fire agreement by trying to survey ion into the Middle East. Their
the northern reaches of the canal misgivings were supported by a
without Israel's agreement, there defense analyst who warned that
had been no further contacts on future Soviet policy in the region
ti- 4 matter.
would depend upon the extent of

"'THE DETROIT - JEWISH NEWS
8—Friday, March 15, 1968

the American resolve and commit- necessary to settle the Vietnamese
and the Arab-Israeli issues "as a
ment to Israel.
Dr. Brumberg, an authority on
Senator Vance Hartke, Democrat package." He warned that unless the Soviet Union, said he did not
Israel's rights were more firmly think there was much that Ameri-
of Indiana, and two Republicans,
guaranteed by the United States, can Jews could do to alleviate the
Representatives Charles Mathias
there would be another Arab-Israel plight of Soviet Jewry because he
of Maryland and Donald Lukens,
war "in less than three years."
did not believe that Russian poli-
of Ohio, each linked America's
Congressman Mathias declared cies were "to any extent influenced
policy in the Middle East to this
country's deepening involvement in that he was "disappointed" with by pressures from world Jewry."
Vietnam. The forum also heard the definition of U.S. policy toward However, he said, a "responsible"
from Israel's new ambassador to Israel given him by the American and "non-exaggerated" campaign
the United States, Maj. Gen. Yitzh- Embassy in Tel-Aviv recently. He against Soviet anti-Jewish policies
ak Rabin, Roman Kolkowicz, of the deplored what he called the admini- could convince the Kremlin to
Institute for Defense Analyses and stration's failure to clearly enun- abandon some of its more extreme
Dr. Abraham Brumberg , editor of ciate a pro-Israel policy in the practices. He cited repudiation of
the U.S. Information Agency's pert- wake of British withdrawal from the anti-Semitic book, "Judaism
Without Embellishment."
odical, "Problems of Communism." the region.
Ambassador Rabin, addressing
the dinner meeting, told the as-
semblage that Israel did not want
anyone else "to fight our wars for
us," He said that Israelis were
ready to defend themselves but to
deter aggression, military equip-
ment was required. "The only
..has a better idea
thing we ask of our friends
Because they have
throughout the world," he said, "is
to let us have the means, the equip-
ment to defend ourselves."
The envoy stressed again, to
an audience which included
at
many members of Congress, that
negotiations leading to peace in
the Middle East must be direct.
Senator Hartke said that because
14240 W. 7 Mile Road at the Lodge X-Way
of America's preoccupation with
DI 1-3800
the war in Vietnam, it may prove

UNITED NATIONS, N.Y.—,
United Nations circles hold the
view that if the Cairo newspaper
Al Ahram correctly reported the
Egyptian government's views when'
it said Monday, that the United
Nations Security Council should
meet urgently on the Middle East
situation, the Jarring peace mis-
sion would be torpedoed. The
newspaper said that a council meet-
ing was needed because of the '
"negative results" of the Jarring
mission.

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