Defense Minister Shimon Peres said that Israel would continue to regard the United States as its chief source of arms supplies despite France’s decision to end its seven-year-old embargo on arms shipments to Israel and the Arab countries. Replying to questions on a radio and television interview, Peres said there were only two major sources of modern, sophisticated weaponry in the world — the U.S. and the Soviet Union. France, he said, cannot replace the U.S. as an arms source for Israel in the foreseeable future.
The Defense Minister disclosed that Israel has received a note from Gen. Ensio Siilasvuo, the commander of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) advising the government of a request to coordinate the times and locations of Russian mine-sweeping operations in the Gulf of Suez. He said Siilasvuo’s note marked the end of a series of provocative actions by Soviet naval vessels in the Gulf during the past two weeks.
Peres said the incidents began two weeks ago when Russian mine-sweepers and helicopters for the first time crossed a line that Israel and Egypt had by de facto agreement established at a midpoint in the Gulf to separate their respective territorial waters. He said Israel promptly lodged a complaint with UNEF and the Russians halted their violations, but resumed them four days ago.
Siilasvuo again was advised of the situation and was told that Israel had no objection to the Russian mine-clearing operations provided they were carried out in cooperation and coordination with Israeli forces. Several provocative actions by the Russians followed, including last Tuesday’s water hose “attack” on Israeli naval patrol boats by a Russian mine-sweeper. But the delivery of Siilasvuo’s note marked an end to the incidents, Peres said.
He said the lesson learned was that if a small nation does not stand firm against a great power on relatively minor matters, it may eventually find itself in confrontation on important matters. In this case, Israel stood firm. Peres said he thought the Russian provocations were aimed at testing Israel’s resolve.
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