The Arab-Israel conflict was brought literally into the homes of millions of Americans last night in an hour-and-a-half-special television documentary broadcast conducted by Edward R. Murrow over the CBS television network Scenes from Israel, including interviews with Premier David Ben Gurion and Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett, were narrated by Mr. Morrow, while scenes from Egypt and an interview with Egyptian Premier Gamal Abdel Nasser were interpreted by Howard K. Smith, CBS chief European correspondent.
Premier Ben Gurion, in his interview with Mr. Murrow, said that he foresees an eventual Arab-Israel alliance in which Israel will help her Arab neighbors to solve the overwhelming problems facing them in the areas of education, sanitation and development. He reiterated his willingness to sit down and talk with Arab leaders any time they show a sincere desire to achieve a genuine peace settlement. At the same time, he stressed Israel’s need for defensive arms until such time as cooperation is made possible by changed Arab attitudes. He also stressed his continued belief that President Eisenhower’s statement of November 9 meant that the United States will grant arms to the Jewish State.
Premier Nasser, in his interview with Mr. Smith, asserted that neither he, nor the Arabs whose point of view he represents, feared Russian domination as a result of his arms deal with Czechoslovakia. On the contrary, he declared, Western domination, occupation and imperialism had a long history in the Middle East and were still considered the chief threat. The United States, he declared, is supporting France and England against the Moslems. He also said that the United States had forfeited the good will of the Arabs when it supported Israel in 1948, as well as by its support of imperialist powers.
The television broadcast was concluded by Mr. Murrow with a warning that “there is the smell of war” between the Arabs and Israel. “If war should come,” he went on, “free men everywhere will have cause to examine their consciences to see if it might not have been prevented.”
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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.
