Israeli Hint Of ‘Enforced’ Offensive Against Egypt

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31987, 14 May 1969, Page 17

Israeli Hint Of ‘Enforced’ Offensive Against Egypt

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

TEL AVIV, May 12.

Israel’s Minister of Defence (General Moshe Dayan) gave a warning last night that Israel might have to take offensive action if the fighting with Egypt continued across the Suez Canal.

“If the Egyptians continue with their warfare, it is difficult to believe that we shall be able to maintain a purely defensive policy on our side,” General Dayan told a meeting in Tel Aviv. “I am not committing ’ myself to continuing purely defensive action if the Egyptians force us to take the offensive.”

A decisive stage had been reached in the situation along the canal, he said. Egypt had broken the cease-fire, but had not yet made any attempt to cross the cease-fire line itself because she was incapable of doing this. “The question is not whether we have it in our power to capture additional territory,” General Dayan went on. “We can reach Amman and Damascus in one breakthrough. “The problem is whether we can continue to hold on to the cease-fire lines in the

face of a war of attrition against artillery fire and commando raids, not only for days and weeks, but perhaps even for months and years. “We must reply with a fighting refusal to any effort to push us off the cease-fire lines, while at the same time pursuing a constructive policy in the occupied areas by the establishment of Jewish settlements.” An allegation that Jews in Arab countries were being ceaselessly persecuted, starved, thrown into prisons and harried by mobs was made by the Israeli Foreign Minister (Mr Abba Eban) in the course of replies to questions in the Knesset. “The fate of Jews in Arab countries, and especially in Iraq, Syria and Egypt, is serious and is causing great anxiety,” he said.

“They are being ceaselessly persecuted by the authorities of those countries who regard them as hostages. . . . Mtny Jews are languishing in prison under bad conditions for no crime except that they are Jews.

“They are being persecuted by incited mobs. They are being discriminated against.

They may not take part in community activities, and many are starving. “Since their grim fate has become known to us, the Foreign Ministry has been acting in various ways through international organisations, religious leaders and friendly countries. All possible agencies that can and are willing to alleviate their suffering are being tried ” From Bagdad it is reported that Iraq’s Revolutionary Court sentenced five men to death today for spying for

Iranian and Israeli intelligence.

They include an Iraqi Army officer, Lieutenant Jawad Majid La-Haddad, a corporal and a surveyor.

The Court had earlier sentenced three other men to death for spying for Iran and the United States. They include an Iraqi Air Force officer, Lieutenant Usama Hashem Al-Kilani. From the names made available, it appears that no Jews are among the condemned men.