Israel would welcome Russian adhesion to the tripartite declaration issued in 1950 by the United States, France and Britain, guaranteeing the inviolability of the borders of Israel and her Arab neighbors, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion of Israel stated here prior to his departure for the United States. “I can’t say whether this is likely, ” he said, “but it is not impossible. “
The Israeli leader flatly rejected Arab-Israeli mediation by a third party. If both sides wanted peace, he said, and he expressed the certainty that Israel does want peace, then they would be able to come to an agreement without any mediation.
If the Great Powers, “East and West, ” declared themselves in favor of preserving “the integrity and independence” of all Middle Eastern states, such a move would serve to reduce sharply the tensions in the area which are on the rise again, ” Mr. Ben-Gurion emphasized. He made these statements at a press conference.
Israel, declared Mr. Ben-Gurion, is not formally allied to either side in the cold war, but it is morally committed to the defense of all human freedoms. He denied press reports, however, that he intended to ask President John F. Kennedy, whom he will meet in New York Tuesday, to propose to Russia’s Premier Nikita Khrushchev that the USSR join the West’s 1950 tri-partite declaration.
Such reports, he said, are “only speculation, ” adding: “This is not the purpose of my trip. ” His Canadian visit, he declared, was for the purpose of mobilizing Canadian support for peace in the Middle East, emphasizing his view that Canadian influence is very powerful in international affairs.
Asked what Canada can do for Israel, he said it should send its young Jews to Israel. Immigration into Israel, he declared, is insufficient, and it was insufficient even when it ran to hundreds of thousands.
Mr. Ben-Gurion was welcomed here by Mayor Jean Drapeau and, on behalf of the Jewish community, by Rabbi Isaiah Hershorn. Mayor Drapeau paid warm tribute to the State of Israel and its “astounding development.” M. Drapeau presented Mr. Ben-Gurion with an illuminated scroll and a beautiful carving.
Alluding to the fact that Montreal is the metropolis of French-speaking Canadians, Mr. Ben-Gurion pointed out that Israel has 250, 000 French-speaking Jews, and declared that this city is famed in world Jewry for its unique character and for an intense Jewish culture which enjoys the patronage and friendship of French Canadians.
He said he thought Israel’s greatest problem was the conquest of its deserts. He expressed appreciation for the great contributions of world Jewry to Israel’s economy and said that as long as there was a desert in Israel and as long as there was immigration “which has to continue, ” Israel will need financial help from world Jewry.
In reply to a question as to whom he would name among Israelis to succeed him in leadership of the country, Mr. Ben-Gurion replied: “We have no crown prince in Israel. For the time being, I will succeed myself. ” Last night, 1,300 guests attended a reception for Mr. Ben-Gurion at the Israeli consulate here.
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