Israeli circles charged today that promises of massive American economic aid–expected to exceed $100,000,000 during the coming year–had emboldened President Nasser of the United Arab Republic to a new pitch of bellicosity against Israel and threats that he would, by force, prevent Israel from proceeding with its Jordan Valley irrigation plans.
President Nasser, it was said here, considers the American aid, which has already begun to flow into his country, as an indication of extreme American eagerness to improve relations with the UAR. He, therefore, does not expect the United States to make any move to head off the new anti-Israel hate drive he has launched.
Informed Israelis expressed concern today that if Washington continued to pour dollars into Cairo–and some press reports today indicated that the American aid total might reach $150,000,000–without obtaining from Nasser any agreement on his part to avoid injury to Western interests in the Middle East, the net effect would be creation of new difficulties in the Middle East.
Nasser, they noted, had not only started a new campaign against Israel but had also raised the “Jerusalem question” in an effort to make trouble for the Kingdom of Jordan. Only the Soviet Union, they said, would profit from further disturbance in the area.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
