Aipac Urges U.S. to Resist Soviet-egyptian Demands for Israeli Withdrawal

The United States should “resist the Soviet-Egyptian demand for Israel’s withdrawal from all occupied territories,” the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee said yesterday in a letter distributed to all members of Congress. “The peace will not be gained or preserved by restoring the fragile and dangerous conditions which exposed Israel to terrorist attack and made her vulnerable to invasion in 1967,” the Committee declared. “The United Nations resolution of Nov., 1967 called for withdrawal to secure and recognized boundaries and President Nixon, on July 1, referred to defensible borders.” The letter was signed by Irving Kane, chairman, and I.L. Kenec, executive vice-chairman, of the Committee, a Washington-based organization seeking to strengthen United States-Israel friendship. The letter added that “the United States should help ease the tremendous burden which the Israelis have carried in resisting the Soviet threat to their existence by providing Israel with military and economic aid which is permitted under the standstill agreement” between Israel and Egypt and Jordan.

The Committee told the Senators and Representatives that the hopes of results in the talks being conducted at the United Nations under direction of the UN Mideast emissary, Gunnar V. Jarring, had been “dimmed by the glaring Russian-Egyptian violations of the cease-fire standstill, endangering Israel’s security.” The Committee declared that “for the negotiations to proceed, it is essential that the newly-installed missiles be removed from the standstill area,” and that “the Soviet Union should withdraw its military personnel from Egypt.” The Committee said it shared the view of Dr. William A. Wexler, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, who, the committee said, stated on behalf of the 24 constituent Conference members, that the Egyptian violations had “critically undermined the basis for the negotiations.”