Foreign Minister Abba Eban summoned the French Ambassador. Francis Hure, to his office today amid unconfirmed rumors that France might take diplomatic steps against Israel as a result of the gunboat affair. An Israeli newspaper reported from Paris today that France was considering the recall of its Ambassador to Israel, thus reducing the mutual representation of both countries to the charge d’affaires level.
Israel’s Ambassador to France, Walter Eytan, is home on leave. French Foreign Minister Maurice Schumann summoned the Israeli charge d’affaires, Eytan Ron, to the Ministry last night. In a ten-minute interview he reportedly told the Israeli diplomat that France considers the gunboat affair “reprehensible.” According to reports reaching here, Mr. Ron replied that he knew nothing of the affair.
Today’s meeting with the French Ambassador was attended by Dr. Theodore Meron, the Foreign Ministry’s legal advisor. A Ministry spokesman said later that the meeting took place as a consequence of the French Foreign Minister’s talks with the Israeli Minister in Paris. He gave no further details.
The diplomatic repercussions revolve around five gunboats built in France for the Israel Navy but embargoed by France. The speedy craft, designed to carry the Israel-made “Gabrial” sea-to-sea missile, slipped out of Cherbourg on Christmas Day and were later sighted in the Mediterranean, reportedly heading for Israel, The boats were claimed to have been sold by Israel to a Norwegian firm for civilian purposes but Norway has denied that any of its nationals were in any way involved.
According to reports from Palermo, Sicily yesterday, an Italian fishing boat sighted the gunboats escorted by a tanker and numerous other naval units including two submarines believed to be Israeli. Italian naval sources reported an unusual volume of wireless signals between Israeli naval units in the Tyrhennian Sea area between Sicily and Sardinia. Some sources reported that the gunboats were refueled in the Mediterranean by an Israeli tanker and were under escort by the Israel Navy.
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.
