Mrs. Golda Meir, Israel’s Foreign Minister, reiterated today that Israel would not give up the right of free passage through the Suez Canal and would fight for this right.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the Haifa Press Association, which was held aboard the S. S. Israel in the port, she said she hoped that the day was not far distant when Israel flag ships would pass freely through the Suez waterway.
She said the outcome of the case of the Inge Toft, the Danish vessel detained by Port Said authorities for nearly nine months and allowed to sail after its Israel cargo was confiscated, should prove the worthlessness of any declaration or promise by UAR President Nasser.
“The Inge Toft, which is now docked here for repairs, symbolized Israel’s determination not to yield its right of free navigation in all international waterways,” Mrs. Meir said. She met the captain and crew of the Inge Toft and expressed her appreciation for what they had undergone in the “trying conditions” of the Port Said detention.
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