The Israel Army could be used to defend the uranium mines of the Belgian Congo and North African air bases, Sen. Robert A. Taft, the leading Republican sponsor of aid for Israel, suggested to the Senate Armed Forces and Foreign Relations Committees, it was learned today. The testimony of Senators Taft and Democratic Senator Paul H. Douglas was made public today and it was revealed that they told the Senate committees that the Israel Army could be used to good advantage in the event of war between America and the Soviet Union.
The Senators told the committees that the Israel Army could play a powerful rols in defending not only the Middle East but also Africa. Sen. Douglas said: “The Jews have developed, to everyone’s surprise, a tremendously effective army of more then 200,000 in Israel.” He added that it Demonstrated its combat effectiveness by defeating the invading armies of five Arab states. “The Israel Army, plus that of Turkey and Greece, can offer effective resistance to any Russian attempt to conquer the Middle East,” he declared.
Sen. Taft told of the importance of the Belgian Congo’s uranium to the stamic bomb production of the western world and pointed out that the Israel Army would be useful in the defense of strategic points in Africa. The testimony of the two Senators urged economic aid for Israel and the Near East in connection with the Mutual Aid Bill which is now before the Senate.
Sen. Taft was asked if Israel will ever become self-supporting. He replied: “It seems to me that the obstacles they have to overcome are smaller than those they have overcome.” He said Israel’s accomplishments have been “extraordinary” and it could become a vital manufacturing center in the Middle East because it could operates plants on a cheaper and more efficient basis. The Senator pointed out that 7,000,000 people live in New York City, which, he said, has no natural resources, and commented that Israel should be able to support a population of 2,000,000.
The committees were told by Sen. Douglas that “Israel’s needs arise almost exclusively out of an immigration program never before paralleled in recorded history. In the first three years this state absorbed 600,000 immigrants, almost all of them completely destitute; the Jewish population was doubled.”
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