The Palestine issue, in our view, is first and foremost a matter of the rights of the Palestinian Arabs

Interviewer’s Question:
Mr. President, what would you do if the dockworkers in America continued to boycott Arab ships?
* President Nasser:
Before anything else, I believe this issue is against the interests of both the United States and the United Arab Republic. Over the past months, we have worked on improving the relations between our two countries. We tried to forget the past, but we were surprised by this incident, and it was truly astonishing. The government's position on it is still under review, but of course, you have seen the Arab workers' stance in the newspapers. I believe our workers viewed the incident as a hostile act against their homeland, one that affects its interests and its dignity.
It is clear that we, in the United Arab Republic, have a responsibility to uphold both our independence and our dignity. Even if we are not a major power with material force that can intimidate, we do possess moral strength—first and foremost, the ability to take a positive stance in the face of problems. With that, we can raise our voice clearly and respectfully in everything that concerns us.
Interviewer’s Question:
And if—Mr. President—the Arab workers decided to boycott all American ships, would your government support this decision or oppose it?
* President Nasser:
I have said that the government is thoroughly studying the matter.
Interviewer’s Question:
Can you tell us exactly why you are preventing Israeli ships from passing through the Suez Canal? And what conditions are you demanding from Israel to lift this blockade?
* President Nasser:
The issue of Israeli ships passing through the Suez Canal is part of the larger Palestinian problem, and it dates back to 1948. This issue has been presented before the United Nations and the Security Council, and several resolutions have been issued regarding it. Among these resolutions is one that calls for the return of the Arab refugees to their homes and for compensation for the losses they suffered after they were expelled from their country and deprived of their property and everything in their homeland—Palestine.
But what happened after these resolutions? Israel refused to implement any of them and declared that it would not allow any Palestinian Arab to return. Meanwhile, the Arabs have insisted on the necessity of implementing these UN resolutions.
Israel not only rejected all of the UN resolutions, but also demanded the right to use the Gulf of Aqaba, even though its waters are genuinely Arab territorial waters, and it also demanded the right to use the Suez Canal. One point I would like to make here is that the American press has overlooked the rights of the Palestinian Arabs and instead highlighted Israel’s demands, including—as I mentioned—its desire to use the Suez Canal.
However, we consider the goods and property for which Israel wants to use the Canal to be the property of the Arabs, because Israel has deprived the Palestinian Arabs of their lands, their property, and everything else.
Interviewer’s Question:
Mr. President, may I make an observation? Do you mean that the ban on Israeli ships passing through the Suez Canal also applies to Israeli ships coming from East Africa and heading to Israel via the Canal? Israel has for years been purchasing quantities of meat from East Africa, transporting them in refrigerated ships that fly flags other than the Israeli flag. Does Your Excellency object to such ships passing through the Canal?
* President Nasser:
We consider all Israeli property to be the property of the Palestinian Arabs who have been deprived of their lands and possessions. Some shipments en route to Israel have been confiscated, including a ship carrying a meat shipment imported from Eritrea. That shipment was confiscated because we consider it to be Arab-owned property that Israel has seized.
Interviewer’s Question:
If the consignment’s ownership is changed before export from Israel, and it is declared that a non-Israeli person has purchased it, would you intervene in such a shipment and prevent its passage through the Suez Canal?
* President Nasser:
The matter is not one of names or declared ownership; it is, in fact, a matter of actual ownership. We consider everything that Israel owns to be the rightful property of the Arabs, taken from them by Israel through force and without justification.
Interviewer’s Question:
Mr. President, I would like to confirm my understanding of your position. Do you mean that you will continue to prevent Israeli ships from using the Suez Canal as long as the Palestinian refugee problem remains unresolved?
* President Nasser:
From our perspective, the Palestine issue is first and foremost a matter of the rights of the Palestinian Arabs. As long as those rights are not restored and there is no opportunity to implement the relevant United Nations resolutions, we will not allow Israeli ships to use the Suez Canal.
Interviewer’s Question:
Mr. President, some circles within the United Nations have indicated that during Mr. Hammarskjöld’s recent visit to Cairo, you both discussed the issue of Israeli goods passing through the Suez Canal, and that you reached an understanding not to prevent such goods from passing through the Canal if they were transported on neutral ships. Yet, you later stopped non-Israeli ships carrying Israeli goods. Could you clarify whether you indeed reached such an agreement with Mr. Hammarskjöld?
* President Nasser:
No such agreement was ever made with Mr. Hammarskjöld regarding this matter. One newspaper published what you just mentioned in your question, but the response actually came from Mrs. Golda Meir, Israel’s Foreign Minister. During her visit to South America last August, she claimed that such an agreement had been made between Hammarskjöld and the United Arab Republic. But in reality, we did not agree to this at all — we rejected it. It seems that the Israelis simply wanted to exploit this false news item as propaganda against us in the Arab world. However, the Arab masses no longer believe such claims.
Interviewer’s Question:
Mr. President, one of the recent recommendations of an Arab League committee was to establish a Palestinian entity and a Palestinian army. This would appear to come at Jordan’s expense. Don’t you see this as an attempt to undermine Arab unity rather than strengthen it?
* President Nasser:
I don’t believe that any of our objectives are aimed against Arab unity or are intended as hostile acts against any Arab state. The purpose of establishing a Palestinian entity is to counter Israel’s efforts to eliminate the Palestinian issue and deny the rights of the Palestinian people. As for the Palestinian army, its purpose is, in fact, to defend the rights of the Palestinian Arabs — and that is both natural and logical. From this, it is clear that it is not our aim in any way to cause trouble or difficulties, especially not concerning any Arab country.
Interviewer’s Question:
Mr. President, do you believe that King Hussein of Jordan has any political future?
President Nasser:
Honestly, I cannot look at the matter from that angle. There is a difference between journalistic thinking and the thinking of a head of state responsible for his statements on international issues. Of course, we deal with King Hussein as the King of Jordan, and we try to maintain good relations with him. But recently, we have faced some difficulties because the King and his government have continued to wage hostile propaganda campaigns against us. They seem to believe this might improve their standing with some of the major powers that have interests in the Middle East. But frankly, I cannot, under any circumstances, discuss whether King Hussein has a future or not. I think any ordinary person could answer such a question.
Interviewer’s Question:
Under what conditions, Mr. President, do you think unification between King Hussein and the government of the United Arab Republic could take place, as you have said you would like? What is needed for this to happen?
* President Nasser:
It is clear that all we ask from the Jordanian government is to work for Arab solidarity, not against it. As long as the Jordanian government continues to act against the United Arab Republic, it will be difficult for any opportunity to arise for good relations between us and the Jordanian government.
Interviewer’s Question:
Does this also apply to Iraq?
* President Nasser:
Yes.
Interviewer’s Question:
Mr. President, do you feel any encouragement regarding the situation in Iraq, now that General Qasim has refused to recognize a Communist party loyal to Moscow and has only acknowledged a Communist party not approved by the Comintern? Could this be seen as a sign of improvement in Iraq?
* President Nasser:
That is not the main issue at all. The main issue for us is the Iraqi government's policy toward Arab solidarity and its stance on Arab causes. That, above all, determines our position toward any government in any Arab country.
Interviewer’s Question:
On the subject of Communist infiltration in the Middle East, there’s another matter I would like to raise: The Free Algerian Government has requested volunteers to join its army. Would your government take a position regarding any volunteers from the People’s Republic of China who might want to come to the Middle East as volunteers in the Algerian army?
Interviewer: Mr. President, what is your opinion if the consignment’s title changes before being exported from Israel, such that it is declared that a non-Israeli individual has purchased it? Would you intervene in such a shipment and prevent it from passing through the Suez Canal?
* President Nasser: The issue is not about titles or labels; it is, in fact, about ownership. We consider everything owned by Israel to be the property of the Arabs—taken by Israel from them by force and without right.
Interviewer: Mr. President, I would like to confirm my understanding of your position. Do you mean that you will continue to prevent Israeli ships from using the Suez Canal as long as the Palestinian refugee issue remains unresolved?
* President Nasser: The Palestine issue, in our view, is primarily a matter of the rights of the Arab Palestinians. As long as these rights have not been restored and as long as there is no opportunity to implement the United Nations resolutions regarding these rights, we will not allow Israeli ships to use the Suez Canal.
Interviewer: Mr. President, some circles within the United Nations indicated that during Mr. Hammarskjöld's recent visit to Cairo, you discussed the issue of Israeli goods passing through the Suez Canal and came to an understanding not to block their passage if they were carried on neutral ships. Yet, you have stopped non-Israeli ships carrying Israeli goods. Can you confirm if any such agreement was indeed reached with Mr. Hammarskjöld?
* President Nasser: No agreement on this matter was reached with Mr. Hammarskjöld. One newspaper reported what you mentioned, but the response came from Madame Golda Meir, Israel’s Foreign Minister, who stated during her visit to South America last August that such an agreement had been made between Hammarskjöld and the United Arab Republic. However, in reality, we did not agree to that and rejected it. It seems that the Israelis tried to exploit this false report as propaganda against us in the Arab countries. But the Arab public no longer believes such claims.
Interviewer: Mr. President, a recent Arab League committee recommended establishing a Palestinian entity and a Palestinian army. This implies that such a Palestinian entity and army would be established at the expense of Jordan. Don’t you see this as an attempt to weaken Arab solidarity rather than strengthen it?
* President Nasser: I don’t believe that any of our goals are directed against Arab solidarity or are meant as hostile acts toward any Arab state. The purpose of establishing a Palestinian entity is to counter Israel’s efforts to liquidate the Palestinian issue and erase the rights of the Palestinian people. As for the Palestinian army, its objective is to defend the rights of Palestinian Arabs, which is natural and logical. From this, it is clear that we are not seeking to create trouble or difficulties, especially not in relation to any Arab state.
Interviewer: Mr. President, do you believe King Hussein of Jordan has any future?
* President Nasser: Honestly, I cannot look at the matter in such terms. There is a difference between journalistic thinking and the thinking of a head of state responsible for his statements on international affairs. We do, of course, deal with King Hussein as the King of Jordan, and we try to maintain good relations with him. However, we have recently faced some difficulties because King Hussein and his government have persistently conducted hostile propaganda campaigns against us, believing that such actions would improve their chances with some of the major powers with interests in the Middle East. Nevertheless, I really cannot discuss a question like whether King Hussein has a future or not—I think anyone can speculate on such a question.
Interviewer: Under what conditions, Mr. President, do you think unification between King Hussein and the United Arab Republic could happen, as you said you desired? What is required to make this happen?
* President Nasser: It’s clear that all we ask of the Jordanian government is to work for Arab solidarity, not against it. As long as the Jordanian government acts against the United Arab Republic, it will be difficult to establish good relations between us.
Interviewer: Does this also apply to Iraq?
* President Nasser: Yes.
Interviewer: Mr. President, don’t you feel at least a little encouraged about the situation in Iraq after General Qasim refused to recognize a communist party loyal to Moscow and instead acknowledged a communist party not approved by the Comintern? Doesn’t that seem like a sign of improvement?
* President Nasser: That is not the main issue at all. The main issue for us is the Iraqi government's policy toward Arab solidarity and its position on Arab issues. That is what primarily determines our stance toward any government in any Arab country.
Interviewer: Speaking of communist infiltration in the Middle East, there is another aspect I would like to raise. The Free Algerian Government has called for volunteers to join its army. Would your government have a stance if volunteers from Communist China wished to come to the Middle East as volunteers in the Algerian army?
* President Nasser: In my opinion, the Algerian people should enjoy independence, and we will not object to the method they choose to achieve that independence.
Interviewer: Mr. President, I am not raising the issue of Algerian independence, but rather the issue of Chinese volunteers coming to join the Algerian independence movement.
* President Nasser: I would like you to look at the French army—it includes soldiers from Germany and many other countries. So why object to Algerians having volunteers from various countries, including China? I don’t see any reason for such objection.
Interviewer: Mr. President, doesn’t that give cause for concern in the Middle East?
* President Nasser: I am certain that no communist elements, no matter what happens, will be able to influence Arab nationalism in the Arab countries, including Algeria. On the contrary, I firmly believe that Arab nationalist ideas will prevail in the end and will always remain dominant.
Interviewer: Don’t you consider this a communist military infiltration attempt—volunteers from Communist China or the Soviet Union coming to Algeria? Isn’t that a potential threat to the Arab world?
* President Nasser: I look at the Algerian issue as one of the Algerian people and their country. A million people have been killed since the Algerian revolution began—that is one-tenth of the Algerian population. Therefore, I believe that if the Algerian people receive support from any source, such support could save a million people from destruction. As for my opinion on communist infiltration, I would ask you to look, for example, at Egypt and Syria—where is this communist infiltration? American newspapers have long claimed that we were under communist influence because of the arms deals we made with communist countries and because of our economic relations with them. But are those reports true?
Interviewer: Mr. President, you have recently returned from a visit to India and Pakistan. What is your view on the former Baghdad Pact, now known as the Central Treaty Organization? Do you see it as a threat to Arab unity?
* President Nasser: I ask you first to recall why we opposed the Baghdad Pact and what kind of threat it posed to us. After its formation, Arab countries were invited to join. When we refused, we faced conspiracies and various forms of pressure. We rejected it from the beginning, yet there were attempts to force us into it—even to the extent of a total blockade and, ultimately, aggression. I discussed this matter with President Ayub Khan and told him about all the conspiracies the pact orchestrated against us. I told him how the pact countries—especially Britain—offered £160,000 to one of our air force pilots to stage a coup against our government. I also told him how the pact countries launched propaganda campaigns against us. President Ayub Khan assured me that nothing like that would happen in the future, that he was unaware of anything being planned against our country, and that the current stance of the pact countries is to use it as a purely defensive alliance, not as a tool for hostile actions. If the new organization—meaning the pact including Turkey, Pakistan, and Iran—is truly defensive and does not adopt any hostile policy toward the Arab countries, we can have friendly relations with those countries while maintaining our general opposition to military pacts.
Interviewer: Mr. President, did you discuss any joint defense measures with President Ayub Khan?
* President Nasser: I’m sure you know our position regarding defense arrangements. We are against military alliances because we feel that any military organization with a large power will allow that power to dominate smaller states. Especially since the smaller states can never be equal to the larger ones in such organizations. Also, we do not believe that military blocs are the right path to preserving peace.
Question from the interviewer: Mr. President… May we return to the subject of the Suez Canal? The issue is connected with the resolution passed by the United Nations in 1951 regarding freedom of navigation through the Suez Canal. According to my notes, Your Excellency stated last July that you would be prepared to implement this resolution if Israel complied with the UN resolutions addressed to it. Is that still your position?
* President Nasser: Yes, the UN resolutions concerning the rights of the Palestinian people must be implemented before anything else.
Question from the interviewer: Your Excellency also stated in an interview about six months ago — that is, last October — that if the United Nations were to establish a special committee or body to implement this matter, you would cooperate with it.
* President Nasser: Yes, and in fact, the United Nations did establish a Conciliation Commission in 1949. This commission was composed of France, Turkey, and the United States. It held a meeting in Lausanne, attended by a representative from Israel and representatives from the Arab countries. They all discussed how to implement the UN resolutions. Then Israel was admitted to UN membership, and the very next day, the Israeli representative refused to continue participating in the Commission’s meetings.
The issue, at its core, is the rights of the Arab Palestinians. Israel is using all means and all types of propaganda to make the world forget that there is such a thing as the rights of the Arab Palestinians — the one million Arabs who were expelled from their homeland and deprived of everything. Israel is trying to divert attention entirely to its desire to use the Suez Canal.
Question from the interviewer: So your position remains that if the United Nations forms another committee or body to replace the Conciliation Commission, you are prepared to cooperate with this new body or committee?
* President Nasser: That’s correct. We are ready to cooperate in implementing the UN resolutions concerning the rights of the Arab Palestinians. All the Arab countries agreed to this at the Bandung Conference. All Asian and African countries also supported it. We made this clear in the statements we issued in India, in the joint communiqué released after our visit to India, and also in the joint communiqué following our visit to Pakistan.
Question from the interviewer: Will this have any impact from the UN or from Israel?
* President Nasser: The Israelis have already declared that they will not implement the UN resolutions.
Question from the interviewer: Mr. President… Would you lift the restrictions imposed on the passage of Israeli ships and goods through the Suez Canal while such a committee or body is carrying out its work?
* President Nasser: Yes, if during that time the Palestinian Arabs were given the opportunity to return to their homeland. But clearly, Israel does not agree to the right of Palestinian Arabs to return to their country.
Question from the interviewer: Mr. President… The Israeli Prime Minister has stated on several occasions that he would be very pleased to meet with you anywhere you choose, including Cairo, to discuss the core issues. I’m not sure whether you have responded affirmatively to this offer. Would you kindly allow us to record your response?
* President Nasser: He answered himself. You may recall that seven days before the tripartite aggression against our country in 1956, Mr. Ben-Gurion stated that he was seeking peace and would like to meet with me to negotiate a settlement. But at the same time, he was conspiring with Britain and France to launch an attack on our country. Just yesterday, the Israeli delegate in Yugoslavia said something similar. The Israelis are simply trying to mislead world public opinion. They say they are willing to negotiate with the Arabs and to sit down with them to reach a settlement, but on one condition: that the Arabs must have no preconditions! What does that mean? It means that the Israelis want us to forget all the UN resolutions concerning the rights of the Arab Palestinians.
Question from the interviewer: So, Your Excellency, you do not see any benefit in holding a meeting between you and Ben-Gurion?
* President Nasser: I do not know how one can meet with a man you do not trust—a man who declared that he was ready to meet with you to discuss a peace agreement while he was conspiring to kill you and your people. Mr. Ben-Gurion declared seven days before his aggression that he was ready to negotiate a peace agreement, but in reality, he was preparing for war; this happened in 1956.
Question from the interviewer: Mr. President, this happened during the U.S. presidential election campaign, which caused confusion for the candidates, as they were compelled to make commitments one way or another. Do you think this will happen again this year, in 1960?
As far as I am concerned, it would not be a surprise to me. I would not be shocked if one day the General Command informed me that the Israelis had started invading our country because this has been the situation over the past seven years.
Question from the interviewer: Mr. President, I believe your government signed a trade agreement in August 1958 with the Cuban government, under which you exchange consumer goods. Twenty-one goods were named specifically, but it was noted in the agreement: "and other goods," besides those named. Do these "other goods" include any defensive weapons?
* President Nasser: In truth, the agreement did not include any weapons, and the Cuban government did not request any defensive weapons from us. I think trade agreements do not include defensive weapons because defensive weapons require special negotiations.
Question from the interviewer: Do you think, Your Excellency, that such special negotiations will take place between you and the Cuban government?
* President Nasser: If the Cuban government requests this from us, we will discuss the matter and study their demands.
Question from the interviewer: Mr. President, it is rumored that a weapons deal has indeed been made between you and Cuba. Is this true?
* President Nasser: I do not think that is true.
Speech of President Gamal Abdel Nasser to representatives of the American Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) Radio and Television,
dated April 25, 1960.