President Johnson and his Republican opponent in the election campaign, Sen, Barry Goldwater, were warned by Arab spokesmen here today that their recent pledges for a United States guarantee of Israel’s integrity runs counter to “the national objectives of 13 Arab states, representing 100, 000, 000 Arabs who hold an area extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Gulf.”
The warnings were contained in letters of almost similar wording addressed to President Johnson and Sen. Goldwater by Issa Nakhleh and Omar Azouni, who signed themselves as “permanent representatives of the Palestine Arab Delegation. “That “delegation” is a propaganda agency representing the Arab League but holding no official status from the United Nations.
Both letters were linked to statements to the recent national convention of the Zionist Organization of America by the President and by the GOP candidate. President Johnson had stated that “the territorial integrity of all countries in the Near East must be maintained as a primary factor for an enduring peace. ” Sen, Goldwater had assured the ZOA: “We support the integrity of all Middle East states, and believe that our economic and military assistance should be directed so as to help maintain stability in this region and prevent an imbalance of arms. ” Both letters from the Arab representatives quoted the resolution adopted at the recent Arab summit conference at Alexandria, committing all 13 Arab states to “the liberation of Palestine from Zionist colonialism.”
The letter to President Johnson appealed to him “to uphold the moral standard of this election by resisting Zionist pressure.” The letter to Sen, Goldwater accused the Republican candidate of “a move to outbid President Johnson for the so-called ‘Jewish vote’ and Zionist support. ” It appealed to the Arizona Senator as “probably the next President, to decide “whether it is in the interest of your country to support the just national objective of the Arab world or the immoral, aggressive and illegal claims of the Zionists.
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.
