Senator Jacob K. Javits, New York Republican, said here today that a complete reappraisal of United States policy on future arms aid to Israel would be required because the Middle East arms race was developing to Israel’s disadvantage.
Senator Javits, speaking at a meeting of the Jerusalem Journalists Association, also said that the recent United States agreement to sell Hawk anti-aircraft missiles to Israel was only the beginning, and that “further developments” along these lines could be expected during 1963. In the address, the Senator’s only public appearance during his current visit, he also asserted that Israel’s security was of the “utmost importance” to the free world, and that Israel’s preservation has always been and remains a cornerstone of United States policy.
Prior to his talk here, the Senator conferred for three hours with Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion at the latter’s vacation retreat at Sde Boker. Senator Javits also told the Journalists that Israelis should not criticize United States aid to Arab countries. He said Israelis should realize United States responsibilities as a world power and also that raising the Arab standards of living was in Israel’s interest.
Stressing United States principle of bipartisan foreign policy, the Senator said he supported President Kennedy’s decision to recognize the new regime in Yemen which, he added, was dictated by wider considerations and needs. He also emphasized the need for a revision of United States approaches to Israel.
The U. S. Senator crossed the Mandelbaum Gate into the part of Jerusalem held by the Jordanians, Friday, and visited the Wailing Wall. Today, the Jordanian press complained against the permission granted by their government for a visit by “the Zionist Senator.”
The Senator and his family left for home today after a weekend during which they celebrated yesterday the Bar Mitzvah of young Joshua Javits with great eclat. The boy had been presented by Israel’s President Izhak Ben-Zvi with a set of 13 gold medallions, marking Israel’s 13th anniversary a year ago. Mr. Ben-Zvi expressed the hope that more American boys would celebrate their Bar Mitzvah in Jerusalem.
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.
