ARAB-ISRAELI SITUATION REPORT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00826A002100010030-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 25, 2006
• Sequence Number: 30
• Publication Date: June 14, 1967
• Content Type: IM

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate of Intelligence
14 June 1967
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
Arab-Israeli Situation Report
(As of 8 :00 a,an? _EDT)
34 Syria has apparently joined Egypt in trying to
smooth over any difficulties with the USSR which arose
during the crisis. The ruling Baath party stated in
Damascus today that it rejected "mischievous campaigns
conducted by agents of America, Britain, and Israel to
cast doubt on and undermine friendly relations and
cooperation among the Arab people and socialist countries,
especially the Soviet Union." The Egyptian press is now
following the same line. Pravda today joined the happy
chorus by saying that criticism in Egypt of the Soviet
State Dept. review completed
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position during last weeks war "in no way reflects the
position of the UAR on the sincere, friendly aid being
given by the USSR and other socialist states,"
4, The Shah of Iran has ordered the Iranian press
to eliminate its criticism of Israel and to renew "as
strongly as possible" its attacks on Nasir, with special
emphasis on the Egyptian use of poison gas in Yemen.
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate of Intelligence
14 June 1967
Arabs-Israeli Situation Report
s o p . m . EDT '_''
1. Israeli Prime Minister Eshkol has backed off
from Defense Minister Dayan's earlier insistence that
Israel will hold on to Sinai, saying rather that Israel
will remain in Sinai until "permanent arrangements" are
made to insure freedom of navigation for Israel "in
the international waterways" and Israel's security is
assured. Foreign Minister Eban has spelled out Israeli
requirements for negotiations with the Arabs, according
to the Israeli radio. Eban is said to have told the
US Ambassador that Israel demands four principles in-
cluding mutual honoring of the cease-fire agreements
and direct negotiations with the Arabs.
2, Cairo remains adamant against the possibility
of participation in any direct negotiations with Israel.
The Arabs have consistently refused to grant any such
recognition to the State of Israel
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4. In response to an inquiry by the US Embassy in
Tel Aviv, prompted by press reports of stranded Egyptian
soldiers in Sinai dying of thirst, Israeli Government
officials stated that Egyptian soldiers are still in
Sinai who fled the main roads for fear of air or armor-
ed attack. The Israelis say that these soldiers are
armed, and since shooting at convoys still occurs,
Israeli troops cannot call for them to come in. When
they return to the main roads they will get water and
some lower ranks will be transported to the canal.
Officers and sergeants will be sent to POW camps. The
Israelis believe that the situation "will clear up in
the next couple of days." Water supplies into Sinai
from Egypt which were cut as the Israelis approached the
canal were restored by the Egyptians on 13 June.
5. The Middle East News Agency reports from Cairo
that an urgent meeting of the Arab foreign ministers
will be held Saturday in Kuwait. All the Arab countries
have reportedly agreed to attend, except for Tunisia,
Algeria, and Libya whose positions are unknown.
According to press from
unis, unisia nas agreea To e Sudanese call for an
Arab Summit Conference and evidently will attend the
preliminary meeting as well.
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6. Estimates of the number of Palestinian refugees
who have fled from the occupied West Bank of Jordan to
the East Bank are still contradictory. Jordanian officials
have now announced that 150,000 refugees have left the
West Bank, but the British Embassy in Amman puts the
figure at closer to 100,000, 40,000 of whom are being
taken care of by East Bank relatives,
7. Cairo's semi-official newspaper al-Akhbar pub-
lished today an article describing the USS-Li erty as
"the espionage ship." Al-Akhbar cited a Newsweek item
which gave affirmation #Fie^Liberty's ro a as an
espionage unit of the Sixth Fleet and went on to launch
a lengthy description of the alleged communications
activities being conducted against Egyptian targets.
8. The Moscow press is now giving credit for the
recent hostilities to the CIA, alleging that a con-
ference of American diplomats held in Beirut in March
was in fact a meeting of intelligence officers who
laid plans for a secret war against the "progressive"
Arabs, Pravda meanwhile brushed aside Cairo press
attacks on the Soviets' failure to help the Arab cause
last week, claiming that the press failed to reflect
the policies of the Egyptian government, which highly
appreciates Soviet material and moral support.
9. The American Embassy in Libya has issued a
tentative assessment of the US position in Libya in
light of the present crisis. On the positive side, they
are pleased that we have been able to maintain diplomatic
ties and rights for Wheelus airbase and that the govern-
ment has been able to regain control after anti-Western
and anti-regime agitation. The US has, however, suffer-
ed a severe psychological setback in the eyes of the
majority of the Libyan population, most of whom believe
the rumors of US and UK intervention on Israel's be-
half. Nasirts prestige has, despite his military de-
feat., been vastly enhanced, and the Egyptians can be
expected to intensify their efforts to topple not only
the Maaziq government but the monarchy itself, as well
as to encourage Libyan popular pressures against the
continued presence of Wheelus,
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12. At the reconvened meeting of the Security
Council this afternoon, the Soviet resolution to
"vigorously condemn" Israel for aggression and to de-
mand the withdrawal of its troops behind armistice
lines was defeated. The USSR, Bulgaria, Mali, and
India voted for the condemnation paragraph and were
joined by Nigeria and Ethiopia in the separate vote on
withdrawal, and in each case all the other Council
members abstained. The USSR clearly anticipated that
defeat of the motion would pave the way for the conven-
ing of a special session of the General Assembly, and
immediately declared that the vote had demonstrated the
inability of the Council to deal with the situation.
13. Despite reservations about Soviet motivations
and the procedural issues involved, the US has decided
not to oppose an Assembly debate which may occur by
the end of the week. These reservations are widely
shared in UN circles, several delegations having point-
ed out that the Assembly is restricted by the charter
to making recommendations in the present situation and
many doubting that it will have much to contribute in
the present emotion-laden atmosphere. There have been
several reports that even the Arabs have been unimpress-
ed by the Soviet maneuvers, which they regard as largely
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propagandistic. Some Latin American delegates have
cautioned Ambassador Goldberg that it would be difficult
if not impossible to defeat a simple resolution call-
ing for Israeli withdrawal. Others note, however, that
the "important question" ruling would apply and that
the necessary two-thirds majority therefore required
could not be obtained.
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