Yitzhak Ben Aharon, secretary general of Histadrut, said here today that he did not object to a permanent corridor to supply food and water to the encircled Egyptian Third Army on the Suez Canal if Egypt reciprocated on the POW issue and lifted its blockade at Bab el Mandeb; did not believe the Soviet Union is bent on the destruction of Israel; and that the Israeli people have not turned hawkish as a result of the latest Middle East war.
Ben Aharon, regarded as a leading dove, made his remarks in an Interview with reporters at the New York Hilton Hotel. He is the first leading Israeli figure to comment publicly on the “corridor” plan which a State Department spokesman said last week was “a possible compromise” to settle outstanding cease-fire issues.
The Histadrut leader noted that while the Arabs have almost a Nazi mentality regarding Israel and want a “final solution,” this is not shared by the Soviet Union which, he said, has no desire to see Israel pushed into the sea. Israel, he said, is an important element in the Soviet strategy, and if it didn’t exist the Russians would invent it. He said the USSR made an “excellent business” from Israel’s existence considering the vast sums earned by the Soviet armaments industry in supplying the Arab states with weapons against Israel.
Ben Aharon said a settlement could be reached if the U.S. and USSR want to avoid a new Mideast war. He said he thought the time was ripe now for a full inquiry into the failures that led to Israel being caught by surprise on Oct. 6. (By Yitzhak Rabi)
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.
