U.S. Stand on Israel Lauded by Eban at Conference on Foreign Policy

“The United States have lost no honor in the Middle East by supporting Israel’s emergence, just as Britain won no durable Arab friendship by a decade of vigorous anti-Zionism, now happily yielding place to traditional attitudes of friendship.” Israel’s Ambassador Abba Eban declared here tonight, addressing the Conference on Foreign Policy arranged by Colgate University.

“With regard to the relations between the Western Powers and the Middle East, some western observers are unduly indulgent to the doctrine that the West has betrayed the cause of Arab freedom,” Mr. Eban continued. “There is no basis in such a charge. Nor need our friends amongst the nations feel the slightest guilt for having qualified their general support of Arab independence by this righteous minimal award in favor of Israel’s self-determination.”

Ambassador Eban emphasized that it is significant that the political parties in the U.S. have recently affirmed their particular sympathy for Israel within the context of their general friendship for all the peoples of the Middle East. “Friendship for Israel and friendship for the Arab peoples are not only compatible, they are inseparable concepts,” he said. “There would be no value in a negative and obsequious trend of thought which would seek to win Arab friendship by a craven denial of the special links of memory and experience, of interest and ideals which unite Israel and America. The Arab states know in their hearts that a nation is not entitled to make its own friendship conditional on the renunciation or denial of other valid partnerships.”