Presidential press secretary Charles G. Ross said today it was unlikely that any announcement on the Palestine arms embargo or diplomatic representation to Israel would be made today. At the same time, Michael J. MacDermott, State Department press officer, said he had no information on any possible change in the arms embargo policy, adding that any such change would probably be announced by the White House.
Ross asserted that the question of the arms embargo has been under consideration for some time and that the United States’ recognition of the new state of Israel only heightened interest in the matter. Letters and wires “to an overwhelming extant,” he said, are still pouring in, expressing approval of the President’s swift recognition of Israel. He said many of the messages also urged the U.S. to lift the arms embargo.
Kliahn Epstein, Israel’s representative in Washington, speaking on a local radio station last night, said the Jews of Israel have “no designs” on any part of Palestine other than the U.N. partition-allotted territory. He also declared that the new state offers “great opportunities for private investment.” Although charging that the Arabs’ invasion of Palestine is “a serious breach of international security,” #### extended the “hand of peace” to the Arabs.
“Not only are we interested in an arrangement or agreement with the future #### Arab state, “he stated, “but more than that, we look for closer cooperation with the other Arab states as well.” The Arabs must, however, he added, treat P### as an ###al and independent nation. Meanwhile, the local branch of the ######## today that, effective immediately, it is closing indefinitely.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
