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New Arab Strategy is to Use Western Powers to Bring Pressure on Israel

September 15, 1967
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Arab leaders have come up with a new strategy to bring about withdrawal of Israel forces from former Arab territory, the Christian Science Monitor reported today. The new strategy was developed at the Khartoum Arab summit conference and involves getting the United States, Britain and France to work together — with the Soviets if possible — to bring pressure on Israel to withdraw. It was described as based on recognition of the fact that Moscow has practically no diplomatic influence on Israel.

(In a recent press conference in Jerusalem, Foreign Minister Abba S. Eban denied that the United States had exerted pressure upon Israel to withdraw from the territories she had occupied, as a gesture of reconciliation towards the Arabs. The U.S. had not even suggested such an action, he said, nor had any nation which supported the Israeli position at the special emergency session of the General Assembly this summer.)

Lebanon, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the paper said, are supposed to lead the new diplomatic drive, with agreement that Lebanon, now returning its ambassadors to London and Washington, should spark the effort. The paper said that Kuwait “will work on Whitehall. Its huge sterling holdings and investments in Britain make it a special friend of London.”

(The London daily, The Sun, reported today that Britain’s Foreign Secretary, George Brown, was “responding warmly” to suggestions from Cairo that Egypt and Britain begin a “completely new diplomatic relationship on equal terms.” The paper said that Egypt was anxious to know how much influence Britain could bring to bear to make Israel more “moderate” in her approach to a peace settlement.)

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