An Israeli diplomat said here today that United States support for Israel is based on “a sober estimate of America’s interests.” Arthur Lourie, ambassador-at-large and a member of the Israeli delegation to the United Nations, spoke at the opening of the 44th annual national convention of the Mizrachi Women’s Organization of America.
The Mizrachi Women received messages of greetings from President Richard M. Nixon and Premier Golda Meir of Israel. Mr. Nixon wrote to Mrs. Aaron Leifer, national president, that “your good works reflect the finest instincts of mankind and play a significant role in the pursuit of justice, brotherhood and equality…My best wishes for continued success and my appreciation for the noble work you are doing.” Mrs. Meir cited the organization’s work as “an inspiring example for all the House of Israel.”
Mr. Lourie had high praise for former President Lyndon B. Johnson, who supported Israel during and after the 1967 war and for President Richard M. Nixon who, he said, “reflected all shades of American opinion in the magnificent reception accorded Prime Minister Golda Meir in her visit to this country.”
Ambassador Lourie observed that “if the Phantom aircraft promised by President Johnson are being delivered by President Nixon, the basic reason is that it is an American and not merely an Israeli interest that Israel should be strong enough to deter aggression. And if the U.S. has remained stead fast in rejecting the pressures of the Arab countries and the Soviets for a withdrawal of Israel from the cease-fire lines and a return to the status quo, it is because the U.S. is convinced that to do so would be as short-sighted from the American point of view as it would be disastrous to any hop for peace in the Middle East.”
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.
