An appeal to President Eisenhower “to make use of his executive powers to strengthen the security of Israel” by supplying her with defensive weapons and to avert disaster threatened “by communist-backed Arab dictatorships” was issued today by the Zionist Organization of America in a resolution unanimously adopted at a meeting of its national executive committee at the Hotel Statler.
In another resolution, the meeting of Zionist leaders calls upon the U.S. Congress “to give-expression to the sentiments of the American people that this country will not tolerate aggression against Israel by the Arab-Communist axis.” The resolution further asks the U.S. Government “to reject all proposals of British origin involving the surrender of any part of Israel’s territory.”
In its appeal to President Eisenhower the resolution takes note of the role played by the President ten years ago in leading the Allied armies as their Supreme Commander in the overthrow of Nazism. “The remnants of European-Jewry were liberated from Nazi extermination camps by victorious American forces. Scores of thousands of other Jews, fleeing from Communist totalitarianism were given sanctuary by the American Commander-in-Chief and helped to reach the shores of the Promised Land,” the resolution said.
The resolution further sounds a note of warning that today “these survivors of totalitarian oppression and refugees from Arab lands, are threatened with annihilation by the Communist-backed Arab dictatorships.” It concludes with an appeal to the President that “conscious of the grave international situation and of the American national interests involved,” that he will “avert such a disaster from which the conscience of humanity must recoil.”
The appeal to the President was coupled with a warning to the U.S. Administration, in an address by Dr. Emanuel Neumann, chairman of the national ZOA executive, against a policy of betrayal through “the sacrifice of a loyal friend and potential ally to satisfy a would-be aggressor.” The warning referred particularly to the forthcoming visit to Washington of British Premier Sir Anthony Eden “to sell the American Government his own special brand of appeasement” through the partial dismemberment of Israel.
A review of the current Middle Eastern situation, with particular emphasis on the forthcoming mission of Sir Anthony, and the recent developments in Jordan was also presented by Harry Torczyner, chairman of the ZOA commission on Israel and the Middle East. The meeting was also addressed by Mortimer May, ZOA president, who, reviewing the problems facing the Zionist movement today, declared that American Jewry stands united by Israel in its present hour of grave emergency.
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