The charge that the Soviet Union seeks to provoke a new and sharp Arab-Israel crisis, in order to force the Western Powers into adding the Middle East situation to the agenda of the summit meeting next May, is made today in Le Figaro, leading French newspaper.
At the same time it was reported here today that a partial mobilization has been carried out in Egypt. Reliable sources said the United Arab Republic had been requisitioning trucks and other vehicles.
Diplomatic sources suggested that UAR President Nasser’s reasons for mobilizing now and in lending himself to the reported Soviet provocation were that he wanted to strengthen his position in the Arab world in his competition with Iraq and for internal propaganda purposes.
These sources indicated they did not consider Nasser’s moves as a serious threat to Israel’s security. Nasser’s charge Monday that Israel was mobilizing was viewed here as a pretext to justify the UAR mobilization.
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.
