Dr. Yaakov Herzog, director-general of the Israeli Premier’s office, told the World Jewish Congress Governing Council yesterday that despair over Israel’s future was unjustified, despite the perils facing her. He said the Soviet presence in the Mideast indicated “the total failure of the Egyptian military offensive.” and added, “There are limits to Soviet intervention just as there are limits to which the Arab world can agree to Nasser’s bartering away Arab independence and the integrity of the Middle East to an external power.” Dr. Herzog declared that the West cannot “tolerate” the Soviet buildup “without forfeiting the entire Southern flank of NATO and thus endangering the defense of Europe.” But he said the Arab “dilemma” is “no less crucial than that facing Israel.” The WJC Governing Council ended its three-day meeting here last night with a call for an international conference on the plight of Soviet Jewry. The Council also passed resolutions condemning the Soviet Union’s “new and ominous” presence in the Middle East, urging action against air piracy, and reaffirming support for Israel and for Jews in Arab lands.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
