Egypt Warned Not to Compel Israel to Use Force on Suez Passage

A warning that Egypt’s intransigence may ultimately compel Israel to use force in order to secure passage through the Suez Canal was contained in an article by Shimon Peres,former Director General of the Ministry of Defense, which appeared in the Jerusalem Post this week-end.

“It would be the height of stupidity to assure Nasser that he may do what he pleases while we sit by drawing purely verbal comfort from the United Nations Charter,” Mr. Peres said. He stressed that “every opportunity and every means must be exploited among the various bodies concerned with this question before resorting to other measures. ” He also said that Israel must not go through another Sinai Campaign, “However, ” he added that “just as we are not to be limited in our choice of a particular military action, so we will not back up at the realization that political wisdom is not acceptable to Egypt.”

Concerning the freedom of navigation in the Gulf of Akaba and the Straits of Tiran, Mr, Peres noted that “the United States has recognized the practical justice of Israel’s position in any attack on her shipping which will entail resort to self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.This recognition would prevent Israel from being branded as an aggressor incase an attempt at blockade will need to be broken up, ” he emphasized.

Mr. Peres also charged that, since the Czech arms deal, the Soviets have sided with the Arabs “robbing the United Nations of its ability to mediate and of the moral authority to demand the implementation of international agreements.”