The wisdom of the United States granting military aid to Arab League states has been questioned here by the Washington Post in an editorial which points out that the Arab countries for whom such aid is being planned are still at war with Israel.
“No real stability is possible,” said the Post, “so long as the Arab-Israel conflict remains a running sore. Accordingly, it is a moot question whether the scattering of American arms in this area has served the cause of free world defense or would do so in the near future. “
Mentioning reports that Iraq and Saudi Arabia are about to receive U.S. munitions, the Post pointed out that “both Saudi Arabia and Iraq are members of the Arab League, which still has not made peace with Israel. If military aid were given these countries, there would have to be rigorous checks to make sure that they did not misuse it or undertake new military adventures with their own weapons, freed by the American aid,” the paper emphasized.
(The New York Herald Tribune, in an editorial on this subject, warned the State Department against “hasty action” in furnishing military equipment to any of the Moslem nations. It suggested the continuation of “steady diplomatic efforts” to bring about regional unity in the Middle East.)
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