A stern warning that force will be met with force in connection with the Egyptian blockade of the Israel port of Eilath on the Gulf of Akaba was voiced by Prime Minister Moshe Sharett, at an election meeting in Rehovot this week-end. “If any attempt is made to close the port of Eilath by force, ” he said, “Israel would not hesitate to use force to break the blockade, since free passage is our right. We would, of course, use all peaceful measures against the Egyptians’ blockade, but we would use force against aggression.”
David Ben Gurion, Minister of Defense, reiterated the Prime Minister’s views. In the opening address of his campaign for Mapai, at Beersheba, Mr. Ben Gurion said: “We will build up the port of Eilath, we will insure the navigation of the Red Sea without any foreign aid, and we will not allow any hostile disturbances.”
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