Abba Eban, Israel’s Foreign Minister, defined today the importance of free passage for its shipping in the Egyptian-blockaded Tiran Strait as “the kind of an issue for which nations are prepared to stake everything they have, assume the heaviest responsibilities and make every sacrifice.” Speaking at a press conference, the Foreign Minister said also that President Nasser of Egypt was committing a serious mistake if “he thinks he can erase in ten minutes that which has taken Israel 10 years to build.”
In somber tones, he told the newsmen that if it became apparent that the influence or action of the major powers to end the blockade was not efficient enough, Israel would reserve its right to act. He stressed that “there is a certain danger in action but there are moments when the danger of no action is even greater.”
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