Egyptian Embassy in U.S. Warns Israel on Admitting More Jews

The Egyptian embassy in the United States today published a warning to Israel to abstain from bringing new immigrants into the Jewish State. Declaring that Egypt has no aggressive intentions against Israel, the embassy statement–published as a letter to the New York Times–states:

“However, it must be clear to the whole world, as it is clear to Egyptians, that the expansion of Israel population-wise constitutes a threat of inevitable aggression on the part of that country. It is a known fact that there are strong elements among the Israelis who maintain that their country should extend from the Euphrates to the Nile.

“So long as there exists a policy in Israel which brings added thousands of immigrants to its territory, then the Arabs are entitled to their fears that there must come a time when Israel will seek more territory. Under these conditions present bounds would break; in the minds of the Arabs, there is no escaping this conclusion,” the statement signed by M. Samir Ahmed, embassy official, declares.

The statement explains Egypt’s blockade of the Suez Canal against Israel as a “policy of self-preservation. ” It claims that “food does go to Israel through the Suez Canal but war material does not.” At the same time it admits that “all vessels bearing cargoes for Israel are subject to search during their passage through Suez.”

The Egyptian letter also warns Israel not to oppose American aid to Egypt. “It is certainly not in the interest of peace for Israelis to try to avert or block the way of Egyptian-American understanding, as they are now attempting to do, ” the statement says.