296 Arab Students Attending Egyptian Universities Cross Canal to Visit Families

The Suez Canal battle zone reverted briefly yesterday to a normal waterway when 296 Arab students attending Egyptian universities crossed the canal for a six-week summer vacation with families in the Gaza Strip and at El Arish in the northern Sinai Peninsula. They were flabbergasted when they found, after the crossing, that among the Israeli officials waiting to greet them were Defense Minister Moshe Dayan and United Nations Ambassador Yosef Tekoah. Dayan remarked that Israeli assistance enabling the students to study in Arab countries and to make visits to their homes helped normalize life in the occupied areas. Asked by newsmen if Israel would permit visits from Egypt for medical purposes. Dayan replied he doubted the Egyptian government would allow that and, in any case, no such applications had been received. Commenting on the tranquility along the canal zone because of the year-old cease-fire. Dayan said. “I like it this way. I hope it continues.”

CORRECTION

In its Aug., 6 interview with Jack D. Weiler, chairman of the Housing Committee of the reconstituted Jewish Agency, the JTA Daily News Bulletin referred to 400,000 Israeli families living in slums; it should have said 400,000 individuals. The article also said Wailer considers mobile homes the solution to Israel’s housing problem; he was referring only to housing assistance to young married couples, 3 percent of the population. Mobile homes are not being built in the United States at the rate of one per hour, “as reported in the article; that is the rate attainable by any one plant. Weiler was quoted as urging new immigrants to agree to live 20 miles from urban areas; the reference should have been to 20 minutes, representing about five miles.