U.S. Urged to Bring Israel into Mid-east Defense Network

Mortimer May, in his first public address here as president of the Zionist Organization of America, tonight urged the United States to pursue a policy designed to bring Israel into a Middle East defense network. He spoke at a meeting arranged in his honor by the General Zionist party of Israel. The meeting was attended by an audience of several thousand.

“Our past experience has shown,” said Mr. May, “that we Americans fare best with those who are our true friends, those who have interests that are mutually compatible with ours. That is the kind of friend Israel is.”

Referring to the Anglo-Egyptian agreement for evacuation of British troops from the Suez Canal area, Mr. May declared that the pact upsets the balance of power in the Middle East and imperils Israel’s security. The Western powers were criticized by the American Zionist leader for turning over the Canal to Egypt without first providing safeguards for Israel’s security.

The ZOA president warned that delivery of American arms to Egypt, as a result of Washington’s interest in the Canal pact, “would place a great temptation in the hands of the Arabs who have refused to make peace with Israel and have even given indications of possible renewed warfare against Israel.”

Mr. May concluded his address by calling upon the United States to abandon its policy of appeasing the Arabs and asking the State Department, instead, to work more closely with Israel “which is America’s true friend.”

Another of the principal speakers at the meeting was Dr. Emanuel Neumann, member of the Jewish Agency effective. Dr. Neumann also accused the Western powers of committing “a great error” for not attaching a provision safeguarding Israel to the Suez pact. “If serious consequences are to be averted,” said Dr. Neumann, “that error must be immediately corrected.”