Francis O. Wilcox, Assistant Secretary of State for United Nations Affairs, told the National Council of Jewish Women today “it is not sufficient to put out the fire (in the Middle East), we must prevent it from breaking out again.”
Mr. Wilcox asked,” can anyone seriously believe that a lasting peace will be possible so long as the boundaries between Israel and her neighbors remain unsettled and a feeling of insecurity pervades the entire area? Can we hope to avoid serious difficulties in the Arab refugee problem and the development of the area’s natural resources?”
The Assistant Secretary said that immediately before the United Stated “is the necessity for agreeing on interim arrangements for the use of the (Suez) Canal and moving on to solution of the basic problems which gave rise to the present crisis.” Removing the basic causes for Arab-Israeli hostility is a “formidable task, ” he said, but the U.S. is determined to use every means within the United Nations and without to find solutions to the problem.
Outlining the U.S. position on Gaza and Sharm-el-Sheikh, Mr. Wilcox repeated the statement by Secretary of State Dulles yesterday that the U. S. stands firmly by its hopes and expectations it had expressed with regards to the Middle East.
After hearing Mr. Wilcox, the Council unanimously adopted a policy statement calling on the Administration to back up the “assumptions” on which Israel agreed to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and Sharm-el-Sheikh and urging the Administration to use its prestige to prevent the withdrawal of UN forces from the Gaza Strip. It further asked that the government actively support Israel’s right to free navigation through the Gulf of Akaba and the Suez Canal.
SENATORS CONCERNED OVER EGYPTIAN MOVES IN GAZA STRIP
Concern was expressed in the Senate today over Egyptian assumption of control over the Gaza Strip and strong support of Israel was voiced.
Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson, of Texas, said there was a great deal of apprehension in Congress” over Egyptian reoccupation of the Gaza Strip. Sen. Johnson told the Senate it would be “a great tragedy if Israel withdrawal is followed by new strife originating from the Gaza Strip Sen. Johnson emphasized that there was no doubt about the ‘assumptions’ on which Israel withdrew. He said Americans had assumed Israeli withdrawal ‘would be met with equally statesmanlike acts on the other side. But thus far, he said “we must have waited in vain.”
Sen. Johnson said the free world has a heavy stake in a peaceful and stable Middle East. It is to our direct interest that all the nations in that area find a way of living together in which each can maintain their independence and integrity.
Sen. J. William Fulbright, of Arkansas, revealed that he had privately asked Secretary of State Dulles what new assurances, if any, the Secretary had given Israel Foreign Minister Meir on Monday. Sen. Fulbright said Mr. Dulles had replied none whatsoever.
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.
