Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, testifying today before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on President Eisenhower’s proposals for the Middle East, indicated that military aid for Israel is ruled out in the Eisenhower plan.
Secretary Dulles told the committee that while it would be possible to give military aid to Israel under the Eisenhower Doctrine it had been and would continue to be the policy of the United States not to be an important supplier of arms to Israel or to the neighboring Arab countries. There was no intention at present of altering the U.S. policy in this respect, he stated.
Mr. Dulles pointed out that the Eisenhower plan does not deal with the Arab-Israel issue and that the United States plans to give its “wholehearted support” to United Nations action on Arab-Israel matters. He said the aim of the plan was to shield the area from Soviet penetration and that the more active the Russians are there the more Arab-Israel troubles would be accentuated.
NO AID WILL BE GIVEN EVEN IF ISRAEL IS ATTACKED WITH SOVIET ARMS
The Secretary of State, replying to questions, made it known to the Foreign Affairs Committee that even if Israel were attacked by Russian-armed Arab nations aided and advised by Soviet technicians. the new Eisenhower Doctrine would not apply. He made it clear that Israel would not have a sufficient claim for U.S. military assistance even if aggression came from Arab armies equipped with Soviet weapons.
Earlier. Mr. Dulles predicted that the Eisenhower plan would be welcomed by the Arabs when they become aware of the way in which it would operate. He stated that it would not be mandatory for the United States to send troops to aid an attacked nation in response to that nation’s request under the new plan He indicated that the plan was conceived as a deterrent to protect certain Arab states from Communist aggression.
(State Department sources revealed today that assurances will be given the Arab states that Israel will be turned down if it seeks to invoke the new doctrine by asking U.S. aid against the Arabs.)
Areas where U.S. policy will be carried out by or through the United Nations rather the through the Doctrine were defined by Mr. Dulles. He said the United States would look to the United Nations for the maintenance of Arab-Israel armistice lines and promotion of tranquillity care of Palestinian Arab refugees who are a “great charge” to “conscience” and the status of the Suez Canal.
In the event of future “aggression” by Israel Mr. Dulles indicated the United Stats would handle it as before through the United Nations. He noted, however, that the results of what recently took place would make it unlikely there would be a repetition. He mentioned a desire to transfer economic funds from other areas to help the Arabs make up for lost oil royalties.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
