Concern Continues over Massive U.S. Arms Sale to Arab Countries

Concern continued to mount in official circles here today over reported massive U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Israel’s Ambassador to Washington, Simcha Dinitz, met with Presidential advisor Henry Kissinger on the matter Saturday and was at the State Department twice last week for clarification of the arms deals.

Israeli officials denied that he was getting information in “dribs and drabs” from U.S. officials. But they did not conceal their surprise and dismay that stories leaked to American newspapers last week revealed that the sale of ever larger and more sophisticated weaponry was being negotiated with the Persian Gulf states.

It was learned from reliable sources today that the Israeli government is not in possession of full information on the arms deals and will await the final results of the continuing “clarifications” in Washington before making a definitive assessment of the situation.

One official here, noting that the State Department has more or less confirmed the press reports of the extent of the U.S. arms sales being negotiated, said Israel was still hoping that the reports were exaggerated. Israel is especially alarmed by reports that the U.S. plans to sell F-4 Phantom jets and high speed gun boats to Saudi Arabia. Circles here said that once all the facts are known, the government will try to persuade the U.S. to decrease or decelerate the flow of sophisticated arms to the Saudians.

According to officials here, Israel still has time to influence Washington because negotiations with Saudi Arabia are still not far enough advanced to preclude quantitative changes. Failing that, Israel would press the U.S. to redress the arms balance in the Middle East which Cabinet sources made clear last night must continue to mean overall Israeli superiority.