The State Department today announced that a U.S. fighter Jet squadron and supporting units arrived in Saudi Arabia this weekend for air defense training exercises to be conducted jointly with Saudi Arabian forces and that the United States made it clear that Jews would not be eliminated from among American personnel assigned.
Saudi Arabian policy, under the goading of the Arab League, has sought to screen out Americans of Jewish faith from among U.S. military men assigned to Saudi Arabia. However, the State Department stressed that the United States would not comply with an anti-Jewish ban.
State Department spokesman James L. Greenfield said Saudi Arabia had not altered its visa policy against admitting Jews as individuals, but, he added, “our own policy of non-discrimination among American citizens on grounds of race, creed or color is firmly established. Our efforts have been directed to obtaining at home and abroad recognition and acceptance of this principle. “
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.