Visiting United States Sen. Jesse Helms (R. NC) told reporters at a news conference yesterday that he will initiate a defense agreement between the United States and Israel that would include military air strips, joint research and development, and cooperation in other fields.
Helms, who at one time was regarded as highly critical of Israel, has recently changed his views and now said that Israel should incorporate the West Bank and Gaza Strip into Israel.
He said that after visiting “Judaea and Samaria he fully agreed with the position that the area is not only important to the defense of Israel but also is part of the nation’s heritage. According to Helms, the American people should realize that Israel is the “only reliable ally of America in this area which is anti-Communist, with impeccable moral principles.”
He said that many Americans might believe that a defense agreement with Israel might mean U.S. troops would have to fight in the Jewish State. “But that is not so, ” he said. “I have met Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin and understand that Israel does not need nor want American troops to fight here.” Helms is in Israel on a private visit together with Sen. Chic Hecht. (R. Nev.).
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