JNF Unfolds Master Plan for Arava; Humphrey, Taft Favor Continued Aid to Israel

One thousand delegates from all parts of the nation gathered here today for the inaugural of the 70th anniversary of the Jewish National Fund. A dramatic new program for the conquest of the Arava, Israel’s most forbidding desert, stretching from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea, was unfolded by Ambassador Jacob Tsur, world chairman of the Fund in Jerusalem. He told the delegates that the reclamation by the JNF of 10,000 acres of soil and the preparation of sites for six new settlements, three of which are already in an advanced planning stage, will pave the way for the first human habitation since the dawn of time in this neglected sector of the Middle East. The Master Plan will require a substantial financial commitment from American Jewry over an initial three-year period. Other JNF tasks in the Arava will include the construction of high earth dams to divert flood waters, the sweetening of the salty soil, planting shelterbelt avenues of trees around fields, and blazing access roads. U.S. Senators Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnesota and Robert Taft, Jr. of Ohio, who addressed the delegates at the overflow assemblage, declared unequivocally their support of Israel during the critical Jarring talks with the Mideast powers, and called upon the administration to intensify its aid to the Jewish State.

JNF national president Herman L. Weisman hailed the new Arava project as “vital to Israel’s future” and expressed confidence that there would be a broad-scaled and enthusiastic response from the American-Jewish community to complete one of the most ambitious programs in Israel’s history. He also alerted the delegates to the controversy that is currently sweeping Israel with regard to public land ownership, the principle which was taken over by the State from the Jewish National Fund, and which is now under attack by segments of the Israeli public and press. Taft warned that a blind over-reaction to U.S. involvement in Vietnam poses a serious threat to the capability and will of the U.S. to promote a peaceful solution in the Middle East. Forces of neo-isolationism at work in America today must be considered the single greatest threat to the continued existence of the State of Israel. Even if these neo-isolationists give up service to an American commitment to Israel, they are proposing policies that detract from the credibility of a meaningful commitment. They make it impossible for the U.S. to honor one.” He did not identify the neo-isolationists.

Humphrey insisted that “it is in the best interest of all concerned with peace in the Middle East that the U.S. unmistakably clear its bond with Israel,” He said, “The measure of our commitment to Israel is also the measure of the chance for Arab world peace.” Continuing, Humphrey observed: “Israel’s recognized and guaranteed borders must be such that population centers will not be exposed to the violent whims of dissident guerrillas. I also applaud assurances of the government of Israel that once negotiations begin, with a firm peace in mind, Israel will be flexible on final borders…The Palestinian refugees must be given the choice of repatriation or compensation.” Lord Janner, president of the British Zionist Federation, expressed his concern over recent events in New York City. “We in Britain are concerned about the activities of small but very vocal bodies who advocate violence as a means of helping the cause of Israel, and are convinced that such actions are self-defeating.” he said “I personally am very disturbed to see what’s happening here, although of course I realize that the Jewish Defense League is a small group which does not represent the mass of American Jewry, who are playing an important and responsible role in assisting their government to support a strong and independent Israel.”