ISRAEL WILL ACT AGAINST FEDERATION OF ARAB STATES, DEPUTY SAYS
Israel is only concerned with the problem of safe-guarding its own frontiers in the current Arab upheavals, Ishar Harari, Progressive Party member of the Israel Parliament and a member of the Israel Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, told a press conference here today.
He underlined that if there is federation of some of the Arab states in the area–he cited Syria, Jordan and Iraq as possibilities–Israel will be “free to act in accordance with its own interests.” The armistice agreements which Israel signed with the Arab states were with countries as they were presently constituted and Israel is not ready to accept any changes which would be involved in such federation, Mr. Harari said.
Commenting on the Turco-Pakistan military pact, Mr. Harari stressed that Israel’s relations with Turkey were “good and friendly” but that Pakistan had seized every opportunity to hit out at Israel. It was to be hoped, he continued, that Turkey would influence Pakistan to adopt a more neutral attitude toward Israel.
He also expressed the opinion that if arms were to be given, it would be better that they go to Turkey and Pakistan rather than Syria and Egypt – so long, he stressed, as the arms going to Turkey and Pakistan would not be transferred to another Arab country for use against Israel.
The need for Israel to remain on the alert because of the recent upheavals in the Middle East Arab states was stressed in an editorial today in the Manchester Guardian. The newspaper noted that though Israel has taken no military measures in this situation it has obviously been on guard.
The Guardian also expressed the opinion that that the recent Arab revolts may confirm the United States in its policy of by-passing the Arab League and making individual defense arrangements with selected Arab states, a policy whose wisdom the newspaper questioned. The editorial noted that Iraq, because of her recent call for Arab federation, has taken a leading role in the Arab world, but added that her government seems not too secure.
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