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News Brief

February 26, 1954
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ISRAEL STIRRED BY OVERTHROW OF EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT

News of the Egyptian army coup unseating Gen. Mohammed Naguib as Premier and President and replacing him with Col. Gamal Abdel Nasser as Premier today swept Israel like wildfire.

The news had more than the usual interest for the Israelis, many of whom remember Col. Nasser as the commander of the Egyptian troops in the Faluja pocket during the War of Liberation. Israelis regard Col. Nasser as a “stronger” figure than Gen. Naguib. They also regard the “resignation” of Gen. Naguib–little more than a year after the army junta removed King Farouk–as further evidence of the political instability of the Arab states, despite the fact that the Big Powers attempt to pin their hopes for Middle East defense on the “stable” Arab regimes such as the Egyptian and Syrian Governments.

News of the Syrian revolt, coming as it did on the heels of the Egyptian coup, added to the interest and concern of Israelis. Some Israeli newspapers issued three editions, giving the latest developments as they were announced over the Aleppo radio, which was in the hands of the rebels.

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