House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Abandons Plans to Visit Mideast Countries

A House foreign affairs subcommittee has abandoned a plan to visit Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia and Israel in pursuit of Arab-Israel peace, it was learned today. The Subcommittee on Near Eastern Affairs includes two Jewish members, Rep. Leonard Farbstein and Lester Wolff, both New York Democrats. The trip was scheduled for April. Concern grew about the personal security of the Jewish members of the subcommittee, especially in view of the Arab terrorist activities and possible dangers in the projected visit to Cairo where the U.S. lacks diplomatic relations.

The subcommittee wished to assess the situation for themselves because of the growing emphasis here on the gravity of the Mideast crisis and the need for a Four Power solution. It appeared that Tunisia was on the agenda because of hopes that the Tunisian government could serve as an intermediary or moderating influence in the Arab-Israel impasse. The Executive Department, in response to the subcommittee’s request, had drawn up initial plans for the trip. No formal announcement nor even confirmation of either the visit or its cancellation were available here. But it was learned on the best authority that the trip had opened a “pandora’s box” of concern within the Executive Department. It was believed that when the trip was first scheduled, there was reason to believe that diplomatic relations with Egypt would be restored before the legislators arrived in Cairo. Such a prospect was now questionable.