Two members of the United States delegation here–both of whom are also members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee–declared today that the United States should intervene with Egypt in regard to the Cairo Government’s deportation of Egyptian Jews. Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnesota and Sen. William F. Knowland of California made these declarations at a luncheon of the United Nations Correspondents Association.
Both Senators urged President Eisenhower to initiate peace negotiations between Israel and the Arab countries before the United Nations Emergency Force is withdrawn from the Middle East.
“I believe, and have so indicated,” said Sen. Humphrey. “that the Government of the United States should inform Egypt that it looks with deep concern, with humanitarian concern, on the deportation of the Jews of Egypt. Such action should not be condoned, no matter what the color, creed or faith of the sufferers, no matter whether they are Jewish, Arab or Hungarian. This matter should be brought to the attention of the United Nations just as the matter of the Arab refugees has been brought up in the United Nations.”
“I concur with Sen. Humphrey’s statement,” declared Sen. Knowland. “This attention should be applicable to all refugees. I would not minimize this problem. I hope that the world will not lose sight of this new problem.” Neither of the Senators, however, said anything about whether the United States delegation would formally bring the matter of the persecutions of Jews by Egypt before the General Assembly. Both made it clear that, while they are members of the U.S. delegation, they were speaking as individuals.
(The National Council of Jewish Women, at the conclusion of its three-day executive meeting, adopted today a resolution asking the U.S. to expand the current Hungarian refugee program to include Jews deported from Egypt. The Council also asked the U.S. to exert leadership within the UN for a solution of the Arab-Israel problem.)
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