State Dept. Denies Report of New Arms Supplies
to Israel; Continued Cease Fire Again 'Rejected
Arab hatred for the United
States was expressed in this
sketch of President Nixon. Por-
traying him with an eye patch
a-la Moshe Dayan, the Cairo
Arab daily newspaper Al Gout-
houria labeled it "The Real
Enemy."
WASHINGTON (JTA)—The State
Department officially denied a re-
port in the New York Times that
the Nixon administration has de-
cided to sell Israel the Phantom
jet and Skyhawk aircraft and other
weapons it has requested. Depart-
ment spokesman John King de-
scribed the Times' report as "in-
accurate."
White House spokesmen said
they had nothing to add to Presi-
dent Nixon's statement at his Jan.
30 press conference that he would
decide within 30 days whether or
not to supply Israel with the mili-
tary aid requested by Premier
Golda Meir when she visited Wash-
ington last September. American
and Israeli diplomats here express-
ed "surprise" at the Times' story.
King said: "No decision has been
made on the matter. The Israeli
request is under study."
The Times said in an editorial
that if its report that President
Nixon has decided to sell more
Phantoms to Israel is correct, de-
spite the State Department's de-
nial, "it represents a tragic but
necessary decision." The editorial
observed that "there is no question
of the increasing danger in the
Middle East in the wake of what
now looks like another round of
escalated arms deliveries to this
explosive region. It must be recog-
nized j that continued American
arms upply, no matter how justi-
fied, is likely to encourage intran-
sigence among the Israelis as they
consolidate their hold in the occu-
pied areas."
The report and its denial came
during a week-end of mounting
diplomatic activity over the Mid-
dle East and a major escalation
of fighting in that region. In
Cairo, .President Gamal Abdel
Nasser of Egypt held a war
council with King Hussein of
Jordan, President Noureddin Al-
Atassi of Syria and representa-
tives of the Iraqi and Sudanese
governments as Israeli bombers
pounded Egyptian Army camps
and ammunition dumps as close
as 16 miles away.
quently shelled Israeli settlements Middle East.
According to official sources,
across the cease-fire line.
According to reports from Cairo, Nixon also told the Soviet Premier
President Nasser urged the other that the United States has been
Arab nations to mobilize for war trying to get both sides to observe
and declared that Egypt was de- the Middle East cease-fire agree-
termined on a solution by force of ments that have been in force since
arms. The Egyptian leader also the June 1967, Arab-Israel war
reportedly announced promises of and that it would continue its ef-
strong new Soviet support for the forts toward that end. Another
Arab cause. The semi-official Cairo point reportedly made by the Presi-
newspaper Al Ahram claimed that dent was that the outlook for a
Soviet Premier Kosygin pledged Mid East settlement might improve
"all that's necessary" to the Arab if the Soviets responded more
states in his notes to the Western affirmatively to United States
peace formulas submitted last
powers last week.
An Egyptian spokesman denied October and December.
(President Gamal Abdel Nasser
that President Nasser told Arab
said on a television interview in
leaders either to decide to wage
Cairo
that Egypt would ask Soviet
all-out war on Israel or resign and
let others try to settle the conflict. Russia for more aircraft and other
arms
if
the United States supplied
The spokesman said, "We are
fighters until death stops us. It is additional Phantom and Skyhawk
unconceivable that after all we jets to Israel. The Beirut news-
have suffered and achieved we paper Le Jour reported that the
would run away from battle now." Soviets have begun a large-scale
airlift of weapons to Egypt to offset
President Al-Atassi of Syria, re- losses resulting from continuous
portedly rejected B r it i s h and Israeli attacks and to beef up
French proposals to the Soviet Egypt's fighting strength.)
Union that the 1967 cease-fire be
Sources here said that President
restored and that the United Na- Nixon made it clear to Kosygin
tions Security Council's Nov. 22, that an end to the Middle East
1967, resolution on the Mid East be arms race depended on an accord
reaffirmed as the basis for a solu- between their two countries. The
tion.
U. S. had called for a limitation
The meeting in Cairo was
President Richard M. Nixon of arms to that area in its pro-
described as a "summit" gathering
of the Arab states involved in has proposed that the United posals to the Soviet Union last Oct.
States and Soviet Russia discuss 28 and Dec. 18 which Moscow
direct confrontation with Israel.
a curb on arms shipments to the apparently ignored.
That description applies to Egypt,
Middle East as one means of
Jordan and Syria but only partially
Rep. Jonathon Bingham, a New
easing
the growing crisis there.
to Iraq and not at all to the Sudan.
York Democrat, introduced a
U. S. officials said Nixon made
Iraq has no common frontier with
resolution in the House calling on
Israel but a substantial number of the offer in a letter to Soviet
the Nixon administration to
Premier Alexi N. Kosygin reply-
Iraqi troops are deployed in Jor-
withdraw specific proposals for
ing to the latter's note on the
dan and Iraqi artillery has fre-
a Middle East settlement made
On Friday, President Georges
Pompidou of France reportedly
proposed in a note to Soviet
Premier Alexei N. Kosygin, that
the Four Powers call immediately
for the restoration of the cease-fire
agreements in the Mid East and a
return of United Nations peace-
keeping forces to that area.
According to the New York
Times report by its Washington
correspondent, Tad Szulc, Presi-
dent Nixon decided to provide new
arms to Israel following the
arrival of Kosygin's note last week.
Szulc attributed his information to
"high official sources." He said
the decision involved at least 25
more Phantom jet fighter-bombers
and more than 80 Skyhawk jet
fighters. Szulc said the administra-
tion was represented by his
sources as believing the U. S.
could not accept Soviet threats to
ship more arms to Egypt if Wash-
ington did not "restrain" Israel.
According to S z u l c, the new
Phantoms and Skyhawks would be
delivered to Israel in 1971. The
administration was said to have
deferred a decision on Israel's re-
quest for financial assistance, part
of which would be used to pay for
the new aircraft.
4 Israelis Killed in Egyptian Air Attack
•
are now engaged in an all-out war.
Gen. Bar Lev said "One cannot
speak any longer of action and
reaction, strike and retaliation.
Each of the two countries is using
all means at its disposal on the
military level."
He said the sinking of the Egyp-
tian mine-layer was not entirely
an act of retaliation for Egypt's
attack on the Eilat naval base,
although the vessel might have
been spared if the Eilat attack
had not taken place.
The Soviet-built mine-layer, of
the T-43 type, normally carries a
crew of 80 and is armed with
double gun turrets. It was sighted
off the Egyptian naval base of
Ghardaka in the Gulf of Suez
and was shadowed by Israeli jets
for two hours before the attack.
Direct hits were scored despite
evasive action taken by the vessel.
Gen. Bar Lev said "We will hit
The escalation began on Fri- them by all means and in all places
day when Egyptian frogmen sank that are to our advantage and
an Israeli naval auxiliary vessel will continue doing so until Egypt
in Eilat harbor and damaged an returns to the cease-fire status."
The Israeli chief of staff said
Israeli landing craft. Within
hours Israeli jets attacked an the Egyptian assault on Eilat was
Egyptian mine-layer in the Gulf an attempt by President Gamel
of Suez, pounded Egyptian posi- Abdel Nasser to impress the lead-
tions in the northern section of ers of four Arab countries who
the Suez Canal zone and ranged convened in Cairo last Friday to
at will over Egyptian territory coordinate battle plans against
to blast military encampments Israel. King Hussein of Jordan,
and ammunition dumps in the President Noureddin Al-Atassi of
Syria and delegations _from Iraq
Nile Valley and Nile Delta.
Sunday morning, Israeli jets and the Sudan were meeting in
struck at military targets near the Egyptian capital as Israeli
Port Suez at the canal's southern bombs rained down on tarkets
entrance, scored direct hits on an 16 miles away.
The targets included the Asyut
Egyptian ammunition dump near
Army camp in the Nile Valley
the industrial town of Helouan and
where
Egypt has a huge arms
smashed installations at the
store and the Tel El Kebir camp
Imshas army camp 16 miles north
on the Ismailia-Cairo road.
of Cairo. A military spokesman
Defense Minister Moshe Dayan
said all Israeli planes returned
reiterated that the latest act was
safely from all actions.
Gen. Haim Bar Lev, chief of a military action against a mili-
staff of Israel's armed forces, tary target but that if the Egyp-
said in a radio interview last tions enlarged their attacks to hit
Saturday that Israel and Egypt civilian targets then "the Egyp-
tians and we shall see ourselves
-.•
JEWISH -NEWS in •Quat4•• tiOther.- POsiti011%= • ...• • .
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Four Israeli
soldiers were killed and five
soldiers and two Israeli civilians
were wounded in an Egyptian air
attack on Israeli positions in the
central sector of the Suez Canal
zone Monday morning.
A second Egyptian air attack
on an Israeli position north of Kan-
tara caused no casulties or dam-
age, a spokesman said.
Israeli fighters shot down two
Egyptian MIG-21s in an aerial dog-
fight over the Nile delta Sunday
morning and staged a 50-minute
raid on Egyptian artillery emplace-
ments and bunkers in the southern
sector of the Suez Canal zone Sun-
day afternoon. All Israeli planes
returned safely to their bases.
The weekend saw the most sav-
age fighting between Israeli and
Egyptian forces since the June
1967 war. The air battle took place
over the delta. An Israeli military
spokesman said a number of Egyp-
tian planes engaged a number of
Israeli planes at medium altitude.
Two Egyptian MIGs were hit by
aerial cannon fire. One exploded
in mid-air and the other crashed
in flames. The pilot of the latter
was seen bailing out. According
to an Israeli spokesman. Israeli
forces suffered only three casual-
ties during the entire weekend.
Israel and Egypt each lost a
jet Monday as air warfare mount-
ed in intensity over the canal zone.
Israel conceded that one of its
aircraft was shot down in a dog-
fight that developed over the canal
zone as Israeli aircraft attacked
Egyptian military targets. The
Israeli pilot was seen hailing out
and was captured by Egyptian
forces. An Israeli spokesman said
one Egyptian MIG-21 was downed
in the same battle. The "kill" was
confirmed by Israeli pilots at a
debriefing.
Israel confirmed an Egyptian
commando raid into the Sinai Sun-
day and said one Egyptian soldier
-54-4ridairt, Pilaf wary
was killed and three others, an
oficer, a sergeant and a corporal,
were captured. An army spokes-
man said the four Egyptians
crossed the canal and penetrated
into Sinai as far as the Milta Pass
when they were intercepted by an
Israeli patrol. A Gaza resident was
injured Monday when a hand gre-
nade thrown at an Israeli military
vehicle missed its mark and ex-
ploded in the street.
Cairo claimed Wednesday that
more than 100 Egyptian infantry-
men invaded the Israeli-held east
bank of the Suez Canal for several
hours, overran a fortified position
and inflicted heavy casualties on
an Israeli armored column it sur-
prised in ambush. They said it
was the 13th air attack on Israeli
positions along the canal and in
the Sinai desert in 11 days.
Israel said its jets pounded
Egyptian military installations in
the northern sector of the canal.
He said Israel has no policy of
"an eye for an eye" and that "we
will hit when and where we choose
until the Egyptians return to the
status of cease-fire." He announ-
ced a t h or ough investigation
would be held to seek to determine
who planted the devices on the
two naval vessels, where the frog-
men came from and when.
One Israeli soldier and at least
four Arab guerrillas were killed
in a clash Feb. 4 in the Arava dis-
trict of the Negev. A military
spokesman said the fighting cul-
minated a night-long pursuit of
the guerrillas across difficult
desert terrain following a mortar
attack on Ein Yahav settlement
near the Jordanian border.
Four of the guerrillas were
found dead. The others escaped,
but Israeli forces believe that
several more were hit. An Israeli
civilian employe of the military
government in the Gaza Strip
was injured when his car was
ambushed on the Gaza main
road, A curfew was imposed
on the area.
A military spokesman said that
two anti-vehicle mines and mortar
shell fragments were found in a
deserted area of the Sinai coast
on the Gulf of Suez near A Tour.
He said that was the only evi-
dence that Egyptian forces may
have landed at the spot.
Cairo claimed Sunday that Egyp-
tian commandos carried out a
major assault on the Sinai coast,
wiping out several Israeli posi-
tions. Israel denied knowledge of
any attacks. The spokseman said
the Egyptian habitually stage at-
tacks on isolated spots, fire a few
shells into the sand and then claim
to have carried off a major raid.
The body of Capt. Shlomo
Navott, an Israeli fighter pilot
shot down by Syrian anti-aircraft
guns over the Golan Heights, was
returned to Israel through the In-
ternational Red Cross. An Israeli
guard of honor was on hand to
receive the coffin.
last fall and to refrain in the
future "from attempting to im-
pose a settlement in the Middle
East or to bring pressure on the
parties to accept any particular
set of proposals."
The resolution was co-sponsored
by 18 other House members of both
parties. It asked the administra-
tion to "reaffirm the previous
policy of insisting on negotiations
between the parties as the only
long term solution and to supply
Israel with necessary military
assistance." Bingham said his res-
olution was consistent with other
declarations before the House but
went further.
Trudeau Praises Israel;
Honored by ADL
MONTREAL (JTA)—Prime Min-
ister Pierre Elliott Trudeau Sun-
day night told Quebec Province's
Jewish minority to insist on its
rights in the society it helped to
build, condemned anti-Semitism
and lauded Israel as an inspiration
to Jews all over the world.
Trudeau made these remarks at
a meeting of more than 1,500 mem-
bers of the Bnai Brith Anti-Defa-
mation League, where he was pre-
sented with the organization's 1970
Family of Man Award.
Trudeau said, "Being a member
of a minority in these circum-
stances can be a cause for appre-
hension. I know that many mem-
bers of the Jewish community
share this feeling and have doubts
about the future in Quebec." The
prime minister, who is French,
told the audience, "If I can speak
as a member of one minority to
another I say stick with it, with
all your energies and abilities."
He noted that prejudice and anti-
Semitism exists in the province.
A bill has been introduced in the
Parliament that would make dis-
semination of hate literature a
criminal offense, he said.
Focusing on Israel, the prime
minister said that "The new roots
that Jewry has established there
in present times continues to in-
spire and unite Jews in the Dia-
spora, and Jews throughout the
world have come to regard Israel
as, a spiritual_ homc„'. . ......