Foreign Minister Abba Eban told the Knesset yesterday that there were three points on which Israel would never yield in any peace settlement with the Arabs. He said they were a permanent Israeli presence at Sharm el-Sheikh at the entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba; a unified Jerusalem, although with concessions to Jordan in Moslem Holy Places; and a Golan Heights forever out of Syrian hands.
Mr. Eban spoke in reply to parliamentary questions relating to foreign matters. Nearly 100 were submitted to him in writing in accordance with Knesset practice. He said there was no truth in reports that the United States was delaying the delivery of 50 supersonic F-4 Phantom jets to Israel. He said all clauses in the sales agreement were being carried out on schedule. Mr. Eban said there was no increased pressure from Washington on Israel to sign the nuclear non-proliferation draft treaty. Israel’s signature has long been urged by the U.S. and, at one point, it was reportedly made a condition of the sale of the Phantoms.
Referring to Israeli relations with other nations, Mr. Eban said Britain’s aim was still to protect Israel’s security and that London agreed that there should be no Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories except under the terms of a peace agreement. He said Rumania’s steadfast policy toward Israel had undergone no change and that it remained the only Communist country of Eastern Europe maintaining diplomatic and trade relations with Israel.
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.
