Premier Golda Meir was reported today to have sent a personal message to President Richard M. Nixon urging him not to repeat the “mistake” made in 1957 when the United States and the Soviet Union compelled Israel to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip from which Israel had ousted Egypt in the 1956 Sinai campaign. The report appeared in the usually well-informed afternoon daily, Maariv. There was no confirmation or denial from the Premier’s office.
According to Maariv, Mrs. Meir reminded Mr. Nixon, who was President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Vice President at the time, that as a result of the action of the super-powers, the explosive situation that had prevailed prior to the Sinai campaign had been restored. This soon became active belligerence between Israel and the Arab states and this, in turn, led to another war.
Mrs. Meir was described as asking President Nixon to let the people of the region settle their affairs without Big Power interference. This, she reportedly said, would be the best for all concerned.
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