Dr. Nahum Goldmann, president of the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency, warned today of mounting Soviet hostility towards Israel but expressed the belief that this hostility had not yet crystallized into the position that Israel must disappear from the Middle East scene. He voiced the conviction that Israel could and should take steps to secure relaxation of tension in the Middle East and to improve Soviet-Israel relations.
Dr. Goldmann confirmed reports that he had had a series of talks with the Soviet Ambassador to Israel, at the envoy’s initiative, relative to the situation of the Jews with in the Soviet Union and a possible visit by him to Moscow to discuss it with Soviet officials He said no decision had been reached but that he would be ready to make the trip, as president of the World Jewish Congress, if he were assured of the possibility of high level talks. He said he was “not hopeful” of emigration of Jews from the Soviet Union in the near future but indicated such emigration might become a possibility if tension in the Middle East were reduced and Soviet hostility towards Israel abated.
The Jewish Agency head told a press conference here that “the East-West conflict in the Middle East has spurred tensions and has emboldened Arab extremists.” He noted that the contest between the two great power blocs tended to make “tension and instability a permanent feature of the Middle East landscape” and said that while there was “no apparent immediate danger of armed conflict,” the situation remained “riddled with political and military dangers.”
Dr. Goldmann pointed out that the Arab-Israel conflict had been overshadowed by the “fierce competition” between the Eastern and Western blocs and stressed that “the Soviet Union has, in the past two years, established itself firmly in the area. There is very little chance that its footholds can be completely dislodged. The result is a fierce jockeying for position. with disastrous effects for the area generally and for Israel particularly.
During his recent visit to Israel, Dr. Goldmann said, he had conferred with representatives of several of the political parties who had elicited his views on the situation and had emphasized his belief in the need for Israel to secure abatement of Soviet hostility. Among measures Israel could adopt in this direction, he said, might be support for an arms embargo to the Middle East.
The Jewish Agency chairman said that a six-month immigration quota of 25,000 had been adopted and provided for arrival of 12-15,000 Jews from Eastern Europe, 3-4,000 from Egypt and the remainder from other countries. Regularly arriving now are about 500 Jews monthly from Iran and 400 monthly from Tunisia. As far as Eastern Europe was concerned, Dr. Goldmann noted, there was “no quota” and as many immigrants would be taken from those countries as could leave. There was, likewise, “no quota” for Jews from Egypt.
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