Ambassador Eric Johnston, President Eisenhower’s personal envoy to the Near East, is returning to the United States tomorrow without having obtained Israel-Arab agreement on the American proposal for regional development of the Jordan Valley, it was learned today in authoritative circles.
His earlier optimism was reported to have been dispelled following a meeting with Israel experts today. The main stumbling bloc, it is understood, is the question of water quotas for the Arab states–Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The Arabs wanted water quotas which would have cut Israel’s supplies, while at the same time Israel was asked to agree to an American proposal for a $190,000,000 project ostensibly for the resettlement of Arab refugees in the Jordan Valley by utilization of Yarmuk River waters brought through Israel reservoirs and channels.
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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.
