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Israel’s Independence Day Observed in Many Lands; Eisenhower Greets

May 9, 1957
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President Eisenhower, expressing “best wishes” on the ninth anniversary of Israel’s independence, said in a message last night to a dinner of the America-Israel Society, that “as the peoples of the world learn to appreciate the mutuality of their hopes and interests, we can face the future with confidence.”

Israeli Ambassador Abba Eban told the gathering that no one is in a position today to judge Israel’s decision to resist Egypt’s Nasser. He warned that the United Nations is “falling short of its international duty” in allowing Nasser to control the Suez Canal. It is in Israel’s “supreme national interest,” Mr. Eban said, to maintain the right of free maritime passage. He predicted that “new vistas” for Israel were opened with international recognition of Israel’s rights in the Gulf of Akaba.

Sen. Leverett Saltonstall, Massachusetts Republican, commended Israel for keeping “hands off” Jordan in the recent crisis. He said he could not predict what would happen if that policy of restraint did not continue. The dinner was attended by a number of ambassadors, government officials, and other dignitaries.

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