Congress overwhelmingly believes Israel should get assurances of national security and access to the Gulf of Akaba and the Suez Canal before it withdraws from captured Arab territory an Associated Press survey disclosed here. The survey reached 438 of the 534 members of Congress.
A total of 364 took, without qualification, a view that assurances for Israel were necessary. Among them were 42 Senators and 322 House members. None said that Israel should withdraw without assurances. Responses were based on the premise that future stability demands changes from the pre-war situation.
Sen. Hugh Scott, Pennsylvania Republican, said yesterday that, during the visit of Soviet Premier Kosygin, “our Government” must resist “the temptation to reduce international tensions at the expense of the little state of Israel.” In a Senate speech, he urged the United States to encourage Israel and the Arabs to hold face-to-face peace talks.
Rep. Jerry Pettis, California Republican, urged the United States to suspend aid to all Arab states that severed diplomatic relations with the United States. He introduced a bill to assure that no more aid went to Egypt. He charged that “it has been American aid which has helped to support Nasser’s aggressive designs against his neighbors.”
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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.
