Recognition of Israel by the Arab states is an absolute first step toward pacification of the Middle East, Walter Reuther, leader of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations, declared here.
Furthermore, Mr. Reuther said, “It is up to our government to insist at the United Nations and in every other way that the Arab governments recognize the State of Israel as an accomplished fact. The United States must speak plainly to them on this point.” He paid a visit here to Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold.
As a labor leader and president of the United Automobile Workers of America, Mr. Reuther drew on the experiences of his own union in discussing the Middle East. “During the early days of our union, “he said, “we had a difficult time in attempting to do collective bargaining because industry would not recognize one basic fact-the fact that we did exist. It was not until our existence was recognized that bargaining became possible. The situation is the same in the Middle East today. The Arabs refuse to recognize the existence of Israel. Those blindfolds must be taken off, then ‘collective bargaining’ could proceed.”
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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.
