A statement opposing resumption of United States economic aid to Egypt until the Cairo Government “abandons its aggressive policies,” and noting that Egypt and other Arab states “remain in an avowed state of war against Israel, in violation of their obligations to the United Nations,” was issued today by the national executive committee of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, following a one day meeting held here.
“We have always favored economic assistance to all people in the Near East,” the statement declared, “but we have advocated conditions to assure that our aid would not underwrite preparations for aggression.” The committee, which is headed by Rabbi Philip S. Bernstein, of Rochester, has its national headquarters in Washington. L. L. Kenen is executive director of the AIPAC.
The statement asserted that, while the United States proposes to aid Egypt in the amount of $55,000,000, Egypt has allocated exactly that sum, $55,000,000 per year, for the next 10 years, to purchase arms to carry out a commitment by President Nasser “to destroy Israel.”
“It is an ironic coincidence,” the committee stated, “that the international community is required in 1965 to spend $55,000,000 for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and for the United Nations Emergency Force to maintain the status quo in the Near East — operations which would not be necessary if the Arabs would cease their drive toward war.”
“Although there may have been some recent relaxation in Egyptian-American relations,” the committee stated, “we are not persuaded that there has been any fundamental change in Egyptian hostility to major aspects of U. S. policy throughout the world. “Therefore, in the pending aid negotiations between the United States and the United Arab Republic, we urge President Johnson to insist 1) that the UAR give full assurances that it will abandon the arms race and preparations for conflict, which burden the economies and endanger the security of all the peoples in the Near East; and 2) that it will undertake to live at peace with all its neighbors, including Israel.”
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