Israel to Watch Nasser’s Moves at U.N. Assembly; Manipulations Feared

Israel will be watching the moves which President Nasser of the United Arab Republic will make at the United Nations General Assembly, and outside it, during his stay in the United States, it was indicated here today. Israel will be especially interested in how Nasser will explain away the revolt of his military units against the United Nations command in the Congo, and his ignoring the UN Security Council’s decision to keep the Suez Canal open to all nations.

The opinion of political experts here is that, if Nasser gets away without retaliation by the United Nations for the revolt which his units staged against the UN command in the Congo, he may be prompted to indulge in making further moves against the United Nations. Some of these moves may even affect the UN forces in Gaza and in Sinai.

It was pointed out here today that Israel was the only country that protested to UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold against the inclusion of Egyptian troops among the UN forces in the Congo. In this protest, Israel argued that a country which, contrary to the Security Council resolutions on the Suez issue, claims right of belligerency against another UN member state, cannot be entrusted with the task of protecting the peace.

Israel also pointed out that, while Nasser was originally supposed to send infantry units, he actually sent paratroopers who were suited for assault tasks like an invasion of Katanga, and not for patrolling and defensive actions.

Political observers here meanwhile noted that Nasser’s Congo action was an important lesson for Israel in the Middle East: If Nasser freely flaunted United Nations Command in the Congo, there is even less reason than ever to believe he would consider United Nations units along his borders as an obstacle against aggression towards Israel, should political and military deterrents–particularly Israel’s own strength–seem to him unconvincing.