Israel has received assurances of support for her position in the current Middle Eastern conflict, even from the “most unexpected” quarters, Dr. Walter Eytan, director-general of the Israel Foreign Ministry declared in Jerusalem tonight.
In a radio broadcast on Kol Zion Lagolah, monitored by the JTA here, the Foreign Ministry official declared that the assurances were private in many cases, since those who made them could not state their position openly.
He added that many countries “including even some of the Arabs themselves,” would prefer to see Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser “dead, rather than alive.” The opposition to what he termed “Nasserism” was more widespread in the world than the official positions adopted by various governments would indicate, he asserted.
Dr. Eytan’s broadcast also alluded to the condemnation of Israel’s action by the so-called “Bandung bloc.” He said Israel was “not very much impressed” by this condemnation because the nations concerned had “never lifted a finger for the cause of peace in the Middle East.” He reminded his listeners that the Bandung conference had adopted resolutions affecting Israel without ever giving Israel a chance to state its case.
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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.