The Israel Government is currently following a “quiet” policy with regard to testing its rights in the Suez Canal, it was indicated in government circles today.
With the reported support of Washington, the Israel Government hopes to create a “fait accompli” on shipping through the canal by using foreign bottoms to carry Israeli cargoes and by sending its own flag vessels up and down the Gulf of Akaba. It is hoped that the Arabs will not be able to upset the situation once it has been solidified.
There is, however, a body of opinion within the government which feels that a policy of “quiet” helps the Arabs in their campaign to reverse the positive results of the Sinai campaign and tighten the economic noose around Israel. The Arab policy, these circles insist, must be fought by vocal insistence on all navigation rights, particularly in the Suez Canal. While these opponents of the “quiet” policy are still in a minority, it is likely that the picture will alter if there is further evidence of a stepped-up Arab boycott program.
There is also a belief in government circles that the Baghdad Pact may soon be turned into a second Arab League, inheriting all the anti-Israel policies of the present, badly split League. The ultimate outcome will rest on whether the Arabs in the pact influence the non-Arabs or whether the latter and the Western states manage to moderate Arab views.
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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.
