Foreign Minister Abba Eban said here today that American and Israeli interests converged because the United States was not looking for new places to intervene and Israel was fully capable of defending itself provided that it has the necessary equipment. Mr. Eban spoke to members of the United Jewish Appeal study mission.
He said the U.S. was not faced with the problem of leaving Israel to perish or getting itself involved in “another Vietnam.” It has the alternative of equipping Israel to defend itself, he said. Replying to questions about possible Soviet intervention in a Middle East conflict, the Foreign Minister noted that during the Six-Day War, Washington and Moscow assured each other that “if you keep out, we shall keep out.” He said that “everything suggests” that “this message still stands in 1969” and that the Arab-Israel conflict was a local one and can be kept localized.
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