American Jewish Committee Wants U.S. to Act Firmly on Arab-israel Issue

Although the United States policy has been aimed at preserving peace in the Middle East, recent actions have failed to put the “necessary teeth” into this policy, the American Jewish Committee charged today. In a statement, the AJC buttressed its charge by citing the following:

“1. Our fear of starting an arms race in the Middle East has tipped the balance of power among the nations in that area and increased the likelihood of war; 2. Our failure to remember Arab alignments in the past has caused us to woo questionable ‘allies’; 3. We have succumbed to a series of brazen assaults on the rights of American citizens and American business interests.”

The AJC demanded a firm U.S. stand to insure: 1. No change in the status quo by Israel or the Arab countries through force of arms; 2. Cessation of any and every aggressive act on the part of any nation in the Middle East; 3. Economic and technical aid to all the people of the Middle East, to help overcome poverty, disease, illiteracy and other social ills which have plagued the peoples of this area for centuries; 4. Sale of defensive arms to Israel, so that she may protect herself against the threat of aggression.

“Decisive action now from the Western powers is essential if war between the Arab countries and Israel is to be averted in the coming months,” the American Jewish Committee urged. It also charged that “the activities of some Arab representatives in the United States have come to bear ominous resemblance to the Nazi campaign” in the pre-Pearl Harbor years. Citing some of the anti-Semitic literature from Arab sources circulated in the United States, the AJC asserted: “The Arab-Israel controversy in the U.S.A. has been pushed beyond the bounds of honest argumentation into the danger zone of demagoguery and incitement to religious hatred.”