Nasser Upholds Ban On Israeli Ships

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28936, 2 July 1959, Page 11

Nasser Upholds Ban On Israeli Ships

(Rec. 11 p.m.) CAIRO, July 1. President Nasser last night opened a new attack on Israel as the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Dag Hammarskjold arrived in Cairo to begin talks about the United Arab Republic’s ban on Israeli shipping using the Suez Canal.

President Nasser said Israel was provoking Suez Canal incidents to swing world opinion against the United Arab Republic. Mr Hammarskjold specifically plans to question President Nasser about the detention of the Danish ship, Inge Toft, which has been held in Port Said since May 21.

President Nasser said the United Arab Republic would not be influenced and would pursue its path denying Israel the use of the canal, “whatever the eventualities are.”

He said Israel had taken premeditated action in sending the Inge Toft to the Far East by way of Port Said with an Israeli cargo. Israel had known that she would be detained

Israel imagined that U.A.R.Israel relations were passing through a stage of stagnation and thus Russia would abstain in any Security Council vote, he claimed. The problem was not one of freedom of navigation, but concerned Palestinian rights and “Israel’s aggressive ambitions.” One Israeli aim, he said, was to isolate the United Arab Republic politically from the Security council’s Big Powers. “Israel counts on the United States to vote on her side under the influence of Zionist organis-

ations. America’s vote for Israel would create new problems regarding its relations with the Arabs.

“An adverse vote would affect the U.A.R.’s relations with the United Nations and with the International Bank,” he said. President Nasser said a state of war still existed between Egypt and Israel. International Zionism, he said, was using Israel as a base for achieving its long-hoped dream of expansion from the Nile to the Euphrates.