Sen. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. (R., Conn.) proposed last night that the United States enter into a treaty with Israel stating “the mutuality of our interests, goals and beliefs.” But he specifically ruled out the use of American troops to aid Israel “without affirmative approval of both houses of Congress.” Weicker addressed a dinner of the Connecticut region of the Zionist Organization of America at which he accepted the ZOA’s Louis D. Brandeis Award for his public support of Jews.
He said he thought a US treaty with Israel could “bring peace closer in the Middle East. At this point of negotiation, Israel needs not just mediation by the US but a US vote of confidence” such as implied in the Soviet treaty of friendship and cooperation with Egypt signed last May. He said the lack of a treaty with the US hampered Israel’s negotiating possibilities since the Israelis have to guess the American mood before making a decision.
Weicker said that even though he was one of the 78 Senators who endorsed a resolution urging the administration to supply Israel with more F-4 Phantom jets. “I consider that a piecemeal operation and far less preferable than a statement in totality of our obligations and goals.”
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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.
