Premier Yitzhak Rabin firmly denied today that he had told President Ford during his recent Washington visit that Israel did not need the $550 million transitional aid currently the subject of Congressional discussion. Rabin made the denial in a statement to the Cabinet which was subsequently published officially. It followed reports from Israeli correspondents in Washington alleging that Ford claimed to legislators that Rabin himself had indicated Israel did not need the money.
Rabin also denied reports alleging that Israel had agreed to the sale by the U.S. of six C-130 transport planes to Egypt on the understanding that Presidential opposition to the transitional aid would be dropped. There was no such deal. Rabin said, and expressed hope that Ford would eventually drop his objections to the aid.
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.
