Eliahu Elath, Israeli Ambassador to the United states, last night told the Economic Club of Detroit that he felt it was better that Israel won its war single-handedly rather than to have had the aid of Russian or American troops. He added that future generations would be proud of Israel’s triumph and that it will make Israeli independence more secure on both political and moral grounds.
Discussing the future of Israel, Ambassador Elath said “we hope to be able to emulate Switzerland, the important industries of which are based on highly skilled labor. Our diamond, optical and chemical industries are a beginning in this direction. Since Israel’s territory is very limited, we look to the sea and the air for further development. In recent months we have energetically begun to build up a merchant marine and we hope that boats under Israel’s flag will carry a considerable percentage of our immigrants and tourists In the future.
“Israel lies at the crossroads of the world,” he continued, “near the Junction of three continents. Before the last war Lydda had become one of the major airports in the Middle East and we are determined to put forth every effort to make it an even more important center of air communications.” All these development programs will be accelerated with the help of the $100,000,000 loan granted by the U.S. Export-import Bank, Ambassador Elath said, adding that it was Israel’s hope that in addition private capital will be invested in Israel “at a growing pace.”
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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.
