U.S. Urged to Press ‘vigorously’ for Settlement of Arab-israel Conflict

The United States Government was urged tonight by Senator Kenneth B. Keating, of New York, to take more “vigorous initiative” to end the Arab economic warfare against Israel and to bring about a settlement of the Arab-Israel conflict. The Senator spoke at the 75th anniversary celebration of Temple Israel here.

“It behooves the United States above all, as the leader of the free peoples of the world, to press more vigorously for negotiation and settlement of the problems of the Middle East, ” he said. “In general the Government of the United States has been rather remiss in its treatment of Middle Eastern problems recently. There has been no action taken to stop blockades, reprisals and boycotts against American Jews in the Middle East. In fact, we have continued to supply foreign aid, derived from the taxes paid by all American citizens, to these very countries which discriminate against Americans.

“Furthermore, we have made no positive steps to stop the Arab boycott of Israeli and other cargo ships passing through the Suez Canal, even though such a blockade is in violation of the principles laid down by the United Nations and recognized by all nations. I myself have several times called this whole question to the attention of the State Department, most-recently last month. But the reply is always the same and it is always disappointing–the United States Government is always exploring methods by which Arab blockades, boycotts, and other restrictions can be ended, but somehow it never seems to find anything. And it never seems to feel the time is ripe for a more vigorous initiative.

“Obviously, at the moment, there are other parts of the world which demand our urgent attention and our most concentrated efforts. But I can virtually guarantee that if we do wait until a crisis arises once more in the Middle East, it will be too late,” Senator Keating warned.