Prime Minister Nehru of India told a news conference today he believed there had been a recent lessening of the “high passions” involved in the Israeli-Arab dispute. He made the comment in reply to a question from a Jewish Telegraphic Agency correspondent. He added that it would be better to wait for those passions to “cool down a little” before any steps were taken towards a settlement of conflict.
The Prime Minister said such steps would have to be taken in the interests of both the Arab countries and Israel. He warned that there could not be a perpetual state of precipitate warfare in the Middle East. He asserted that India had put up with much more from Pakistan than Israel had to face from Egypt. At the same time he ignored a question concerning Israel’s moral right to defend herself against a country, Egypt, which openly proclaimed a state of war. Asked if he felt Egypt’s attitude toward Israel was helpful to world peace, Mr. Nehru replied that Egypt’s attitude was “probably more helpful” than that of other Arab countries.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
