Simcha Dinitz, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, said last night that any attempt to connect the present oil shortage with the demands to satisfy Arab political blackmail “is economically faulty, politically misleading and morally wrong.” Dinitz, addressing the 78th annual convention of the Jewish War Veterans, noted that “some circles claim that because of the oil shortage the United States must adopt a policy of promoting peace in the Middle East “then this most noble goal must be promoted and advanced whether there is an oil shortage or not.”
Although Dinitz did not mention anyone by name this statement was an apparent reference to the letter sent out by the board chairman of Standard Oil of California its employes and stockholders urging them to pressure the U.S. government for greater understanding of the Arabs. The letter, written by Otto N.Miller, set off waves of protests in the Jewish community and evoked criticism from Congressmen and California state and municipal officials.
STABILITY IS BEST GUARANTEE
Dinitz stated that there is no way to explain the shortage of oil on the basis of what some Arab governments might or might not do in the future. “So far no curtailment of production has taken place anywhere and not a single oil well was closed in the Arab world,” he said. “The reason for the shortage, therefore, must be sought somewhere else.”
The main guarantee for the continuing flow of oil from the Mideast, Dinitz said, is to insure stability in the area. “A United States policy which is friendly to all countries in the area and preserves the balance of arms and the balance of power is the best guarantee of stability,” he declared. This policy, he continued, will prevent strife between the Arab nations and Israel, prevent “Soviet subversion in this sensitive area,” and avert the toppling of regimes friendly to the West.
Dinitz noted that the absence of peace is not due to lack of efforts by the U.S. and Israel but to the Arab position of no peace, no recognition and no negotiations with Israel. Returning to “some circles” that advocate a change in the U.S. Mideast policy, the Israeli diplomat said that it is precisely the U.S. Mideast policy “which brought stabilization to the Middle East and which eventually could bring peace.” Surrender to Arab blackmail, Dinitz stated, “will not only produce disastrous results in their immediate effects, but will pave the way for every escalating demand which is economically unnecessary and politically disastrous.”
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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.
