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Israel Can’t Trust Arabs if Arabs Can’t Trust Each Other, Official Says

July 21, 1971
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A senior Foreign Ministry official said today that Israel could not be expected to trust any Arab government “when it comes to our security” when the Arab governments cannot even trust each other. Referring to the internecine strife that has developed in the Arab world, the official noted that “within the space of little more than one week we have been faced with a Moroccan situation, a Jordanian situation and a Sudanese situation, Solemn promises by one Arab leader to another were broken and commitments disregarded. How can we Israelis be expected to trust an Arab government?” The official added that “Of course we want to talk with the Arabs; we want contacts with them, but when it comes to our security we cannot entrust it to them.” The official was referring to Israel’s refusal to give up strategic territories vital to its defense.

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