Senator Jacob K. Javits assured Israelis today that United States policy was to preserve the military balance of power in the Middle East and that the U.S. would provide Israel with arms should the balance tilt against it. The New York Senator, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke to newsmen prior to his departure for Turkey.
Sen. Javits spent three days in Israel on what he said was a private, unofficial visit. But during his stay he sought to convince Israeli leaders that there has been no erosion of America’s basic support for Israel. He conceded that there was an erosion in U.S. – Israel relations which he attributed to “misunderstanding.” Sen. Javits said that Secretary of State William P. Rogers’ Dec. 9 statement of U.S. Mideast policy was now “obsolete” because the American proposals have been rejected by the Soviet Union. Israelis were alarmed by Mr. Rogers’ proposal that Israel withdraw from virtually all occupied Arab territories in return for a binding peace commitment from the Arabs.
Sen. Javits condemned France’s sale of Mirage jets and other modern arms to Libya. He said they could easily reach the Israeli front but that the U.S. would readjust the arms balance should it change. Sen. Javits said he was convinced of Israel’s sincere desire for peace and of its ability to withstand a war of attrition for as long as necessary. The Senator said that while his visit was in a private capacity he intended to report what he saw when he returns in the U.S. He said he would do his utmost to see that the Government gives favorable consideration to Israel’s requests for more military and economic aid.
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