Israel Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett, in a nationwide broadcast, warned that “apart from occasional differences of opinion on general international issues, such as can occur between any two governments, we must always face the possibility of complications in our relations with the United States of a particular kind as long as the problem of our relations with the countries around us has not been definitely solved.”
The Israeli diplomat pointed out that “on this plane, indeed, differences of opinion arose in the past and may arise again.” He stressed that “with all our keen desire for relationship with the United States, we cannot determine our attitude by the sole criterion of what meets the views of the United States.
“The American Government may have its own opinion and we may have ours, particularly on matters which may decisively affect our future,” he pointed out. He added that “we shall regret every case of disagreement, but we need not be dismayed. We should meet every such situation with the renewed effort of restating our position in a friendly spirit with a view to gaining understanding for it.
FEARS COMPLICATIONS OVER U.S. CONDITIONS FOR PEACE SETTLEMENT
“Should the State Department,” Mr. Sharett declared, “proceed to lay down definite condition for a peace settlement, new complications may arise, not merely between the United States and ourselves. Relations may become further embroiled without the cause of peace being advanced.
“It is premature,” he added, “to forecast what turn things will take. What we are witnessing for the time being are only initial gropings which need not culminate in definite conclusions. In any case, it would be utterly rash to assume that a clash is inevitable.”
Turning to the question of Jordan-Israel relations, the Israel Foreign Minister said it should be “clear to all concerned “that Israel has not the slightest interest in upsetting the present equilibrium. “It is a patent fact that every stage of aggressive initiative has come from the Jordan side of the border,” Mr. Sharett emphasized. “If only the Jordan authorities would take their section of the border under effective control and put an end to all incursions and outbreaks of violence, complete calm would be re-established immediately.”
The Foreign Minister also discussed at length the question of the Arabs of Israel. He explained that “because of the war and the havoc it has wrought, many of these people cannot be restored to their former lands, either because others are living on them or because of weighty security reasons. What is impossible is impossible and no arguments will avail, but the Government by no means proposes to disregard the rights of these people and abandon them to their fate.”
He pointed out that the Government is “offering them other land or, if they prefer, monetary compensation.” He stressed that “this clearly entails cooperation on their part. They cannot in the same breath refuse the substitute offer of land and complain that nobody is taking care of them.”
The Foreign Minister warned that “if there are grave violations of public safety, measures must be taken and people who refuse to cooperate with the authorities cannot pose as innocent victims of arbitrary rule when measures are adopted against them on account of their deliberate refusal to lend support to the government in its stand against violation of security within their villages.”
A incomitant of Government care of the Arab minority, Mr. Sharett pointed out, is the call upon the Arabs to discharge their obligations in the payment of taxes and fulfillment of other duties. He warned of “stern reactions to any manifestations of disloyalty to the State or complicity in lawlessness or non-cooperation in security measures.”
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.
