WASHINGTON, Feb. 20--President Eisenhower declared tonight "the United Nations has no choice but to exert pressure upon Israel" to get her troops out of disputed Mideast areas.

Eisenhower thus threw out an apparent hint that the United States stands ready, if a showdown comes, to support some kind of United Nations sanctions against Israel for her failure thus far to head U.N. demands to withdraw.

But the President coupled with the hint a statement that "we still hope" Israel will accept U.S. assurances and go along with the U.N. demands.

Johnson Seeks Mideast Vote

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20--Majority Leader Johnson (D-Tex.) threatened late today to force a quick Senate vote on the Middle East resolution unless senators start showing up on the floor to debate it.

The Senate was virtually deserted at times today.

He said he didn't want to be lecturing his colleagues but that he was prepared to vote on the big policy issue at any time and if senators continued to absent themselves the resolution will be acted on.

Worthy's Case Weighed

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20--The State and Justice departments are reported considering whether any laws were violated by three newsmen who went to Red China in defiance of a State Department ban--but indications are that no action will be taken against them.

Two of the three--Nieman Fellow William Worthy of the Baltimore Afro-American and Phillip Harrington of Look magazine--have returned to the United States. The third, Edmund Stevens of Look, is in Moscow.