Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion discussed with his Cabinet here today the latest Middle East developments reported from the United Nations, including the addresses made there in the past week by United Arab Republic President Gamal Abdel Nasser and Ghana’s President Kwame Nkrumah.
(Dr. Nkrumah, in a speech last Friday at the UN, warned that an Arab effort to wipe out Israel would lead to “global war.” He also proposed that the Arab refugee problem be solved by setting up a separate state for the refugees “with their own government and their own President.” However, he made it clear that such a state should be in “some area,” presumably on Arab soil, but not in Israel.)
Israeli circles see Dr. Nkrumah’s statement of “particular significance,” especially in view of the fact that he sees eye-to-eye with Nasser on many problems, and because he had conferred with Nasser only the evening before he made his statement at the United Nations.
Israelis were reported here today as being “especially appreciative” of the Ghanaian President’s statement about resettling Arab refugees in an area where they could form their own government. This statement was seen as the first public proposal of a constructive solution of the Arab refugee problem. Foreign Ministry circles in Jerusalem, however, abstained from any formal reaction to Dr. Nkrumah’s statement, pointing out that Israel’s Foreign Minister. Mrs. Golda Meir, will make the Government’s position clear when she addresses the Assembly this week.
As of today, Mrs. Meir was scheduled to deliver her Government’s foreign policy statement before the plenary session of the Assembly next Wednesday. It is expected that by that time all of the major Arab positions–running the gamut from Nasser to King Hussein of Jordan and some of the less important Arab representatives–will have been heard by the Assembly. Thus, Mrs. Meir’s address may conclude the “general debate” of Arab-Israeli problems at this year’s Assembly.
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