The population of this Israeli Red Sea port was reported today as firmly convinced it will be Elath from which the Israeli “test ship” will leave to establish Israel’s right of innocent passage through the Suez Canal when the Government decides to make the test.
Meanwhile, the 250 ton Panamanian-flag ship “Chalkish” arrived at the port yesterday. It is this vessel which Elath residents believe will be the first to be ordered through the Suez Canal with a cargo of Israeli products.
The strong confidence of the Government in Elath’s maritime future was reflected in a decision to build 1, 000 new housing units here in the next 12 months. This is one and a half times as many as were built in the last eight years.
Simultaneously, however, Israeli authorities have become concerned about the possibility of Arab interference with navigation through the Tiran Strait, at the mouth of the Gulf of Akaba, and have established a policy of silence about most ships arriving or due to arrive here.
Observers have suggested that Israel may be under Washington influence to avoid publicity on Elath-bound traffic in an effort to avoid angering King Saud of Saudi Arabia and make him rejoin Egypt in opposition to Israel’s Akaba transit rights.
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.
