Defense Minister Moshe Dayan told an American audience today that Israel has three major requests of the United States in the areas of foreign policy, support and security. He also reiterated his pessimistic views of early peace with the Arabs and said, “In my opinion we shall have to live for a long time under strain and battle before peace is achieved.” He said that if Soviet Russia wanted to force open the Suez Canal before there is a peace settlement, it would have to assume the responsibility of fighting the Israel Army and driving it back from the Canal’s banks.
Gen. Dayan, whose recent statements on foreign policy have stirred controversy within the Government, spoke before the 450 members of the United Jewish Appeal’s 14th study mission. He said the three requests of the U.S. were: support Israel’s stand, in the United Nations and elsewhere, that there can be no withdrawal from occupied Arab territories prior to a peace settlement; influence Soviet Russia to keep the Middle East out of the arena of Big Power conflicts and leave Israel and the Arab states to settle their differences directly; supply Israel with appropriate aircraft needed to maintain its security, especially in view of the continued French embargo of the 50 Mirage V jets that Israel purchased.
The Defense Minister said that there were three major political factors which did not exist before the June, 1967 Six-Day War: Israeli control of territory from the Golan Heights to the Suez Canal; control of the population of the occupied territories; and time, the duration of which is not known. He said Israel must exploit these factors immediately or it may miss an historic opportunity. Israeli forces should continue to hold the present lines and to combat terrorism and try to win the Arabs over, he said. But at the same time, Israel must prepare for another war. He stressed that every possible effort must be made to settle areas in Jerusalem, in the Jordan Valley and the Golan Heights. Above all, Gen. Dayan declared, “we have to shape our relations with the population of the occupied territories so that the Palestinian leaders will come to talk with us.” In reply to a question, he said it was possible to reach a peace settlement with one Arab country, but the key to the situation is Egypt.
KOLLEK TELLS MISSION OF PROBLEM OF ARAB ILLITERACY IN JERUSALEM
Mayor Teddy Kollek told the UJA study mission yesterday that the problem of illiteracy is greater in Jerusalem than in any other Israeli city. He attributed this situation in part to the fact that half of Jerusalem’s population is comprised of immigrants or children of immigrants who arrived during the past 20 years, mainly from backward Moslem countries.
Mayor Kollek said the problem of co-existence between Jews and Arabs here was aggravated by the increase in the Arab population since the June, 1967 war. Many West Bank Arabs have come to the city where wages are higher and prospects are better for a steady job, he said.
The 450 members of the 14th UJA study mission visited the Hebrew University where they were received by its president, Avraham Harman. They also visited the Western Wall, Mount Scopus, the Mount of Olives and Bethlehem. They attended dedication ceremonies in Lydda for the Zale Vocational High School, built with funds provided by the Zale family of Dallas, Texas, and Jacob Feldman, a Jewish community leader there. The Zale school will provide secondary education and training facilities for more than 600 students in the area which is the center of Israel’s aircraft industry. It has 12 classrooms, laboratories and a drafting room. The Zale family raised $390,000 toward the school’s construction and an additional $100,000 was contributed by Mr. Feldman to the Israel Education Fund.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
