Israel believes that U.S. arms supplied to the Arab states will be viewed by the Arab s as primarily for use against Israel, it was learned here today.
In the Israeli opinion, the United States would be wiser to raise living standards of the Arabs by economic assistance than to emulate Russia in a destructive arms race. Israel is profoundly skeptical of the wisdom of pouring arms into such nations as Jordan which proclaim hostility against Israel as a first priority.
While Israel considers the Soviet arming of Syria and Egypt as fraught with danger, the United States shipment of arms to the other Arab states is viewed by Israel as at least imprudent. In addition, Israel suffers a serious added economic burden because it is forced to buy arms to balance the gift arms from the United States to the Arabs.
The Israelis see Egyptian Premier Nasser as the real author of the Syrian development. They hold that Nasserismisthe factor that opened the door to Communism in Syria. Israel feels it essential that the U.S. make clear policy statements on the Middle East to rule out any chance of miscalculation. It is held vitally urgent that any obscurity in the United States position be eliminated.
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