Egypt has been depicted by a special House Foreign Affairs Committee study mission which visited the Near East as “the source of many of the troubles of the West in the Near East.” The report stressed the intensity of anti-Israel tendencies in the region.
The study mission was under chairmanship of Rep. Edward R. Roybal, California Democrat, and included Representatives E. Ross Adair, Indiana Republican; J. I. Whalley, Pennsylvania Republican and E. Y. Berry, South Dakota Republican, The mission visited Israel and the Arab states in November and December and have just released their conclusions.
Arab “determination to liquidate Israel” was discerned as an aspect of the Arab military build-up noted. Arab hostility was described in detail. Israel was depicted as a state “whose up-to-date know-how and modern initiative tend to aggravate the existing envy and distrust among her neighbors.”
The Congressmen said that “of paramount concern” is the fact that Nasser has continued to exploit the belligerency exhibited by the Palestinian Arab refugees. They noted also the “border violations by Syrian terrorists.” The Congressmen evaluated the so-called Palestine Liberation Organization and found Arab states distrustful of it. They said that otherwise the PLO would be “much larger.” Emphasis was made on moves to remove from UNRWA rolls all Arab refugees serving in the forces of the PLO.
Notice was taken of the “large quantities” of arms purchased by Nasser from the Soviet Union. “He has also been promised Chinese aid in his drive against Western influence in the Near East, ” said the report. The mission revealed that Kuwait has undertaken to finance the PLO.
A conclusion drawn was that enormous sums were spent by Israel and the Arabs for escalating the arms race “sapping the economic strength of both sides. ” The mission held that “it is necessary to recognize that prevailing and dominant ambitions of the current Egyptian leadership are aggressively opposed to the primary interests of the United States.” Nasser’s designs on Yemen and Aden were reported.
The committee also referred to the Arab economic warfare aimed at isolating Israel, including the continued blockade of the Suez Canal against Israeli ships and cargoes. Egypt was seen as the “key country” in the Near East and one where Soviet influence is “very strong.” The mission said “although Nasser is doing badly at the moment, he is still a strong force to be dealt with.”
On the Arab refugee question, the Congressmen found Israel’s position “clear,” The Arab population is growing faster per capita than the Jewish population in Israel and “by increasing the Arab population by repatriation, all Jewish citizens will be placed in jeopardy, ” the mission reported. The conclusion on Israel’s water problems was that “sea water desalination would appear to be the most obvious answer.”
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.
