Israel May Receive Increased Amount of U.S. Surplus Commodities

Israel is expected to receive an increased amount of surplus U.S. food in the coming fiscal year as a result of House approval yesterday of a measure making an additional billion dollars worth of such surplus available to friendly nations.

The House voted a one-year extension of agricultural trade development and assistance legislation which increases the total program from three billion to four billion. The bill now goes to a joint Senate-House conference and then to the President for signature. It authorizes also an additional $300,000,000 of government-owned surplus foods for relief giveaways.

Israel has benefitted from this program in the past. Negotiations under the extended program may bring Israel an increased share of commodities that will help feed the rapidly growing population. The extension was voted by the House 344 to 7.

The benefits of the United States surplus food program in Israel were described last week by Mrs. Raphael Tourover, Washington representative of Hadassah, to the Senate Agricultural and Forestry Committee at hearings on the operation and administration of Public Law 480 providing for foreign distribution of surplus United States commodities.

Mrs. Tourover urged continuance of the surplus food program and recommended that it have assured planning. She reported that over a million dollars worth of American commodities were distributed by Hadassah in Israel in the last fiscal year, giving supplementary food rations to approximately 300,000 persons. The distribution was made under a program approved by the United States Operations Mission and the Israel Government through 150 institutions and social service agencies. The program served all denominations, creeds and nationalities.