Mrs. Golda Meir, Israel’s Foreign Minister, declared today in an interview with the Sunday Times that Israel could not “remain passive if any country tries to dominate Jordan. We cannot accept the presence of any other army on our frontiers.”
She asserted that President Nasser of the United Arab Republic was “deliberately trying to dominate Jordan.” She added that while Israel could do nothing to help Jordan, “we understand Jordan’s position. But if the status quo in Jordan is changed, Israel’s national security will be in jeopardy. To this we cannot remain indifferent.”
She termed “nonsense” a suggestion that if Nasser moved against Jordan, he would be met by a coordinated Jordan-Israel defense. “We have no more connection with Jordan than with any other Arab state,” she said. “When Cairo starts this kind of a story it is wise to examine the motives behind it.”
Asked if another major clash with the UAR was inevitable, Mrs. Meir replied that this depended entirely on Nasser. “If Nasser was as genuinely peace-loving as his speeches at the United Nations made out, there could be peace tonight but even in New York he did not preach peace in the Middle East,” she stated. “His prestige is based on his declared policy of extermination of Israel.” she added.
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.
