Bar-on: Israel Anxious for Peace but Afraid of Unfair Settlement

The Israeli people, who never stopped dreaming about peace, received the message of the renewed cease-fire and the possible progress towards a peace settlement with exhilaration. Yet in spite of the good intentions of the American administration, they feel that Israel’s interests might be jeopardized by the great powers bargaining over a settlement, declared Mordecai Bar-On, head of the Youth & Hechalutz Department of the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem, in an address tonight to 1,000 graduates of Zionist youth camps at an assembly in Camp Tel Yehuda. Bar-On stated that 10,000 American Jewish youth are participating this summer in a variety of programs sponsored by the Jewish Agency, the American Zionist Youth Foundation and other organizations and that there is a growing desire among them to go on aliyah. Mr. Bar-On addressed the assembled youth on the subject: “What Does Israel Expect From American Jewish Youth in the 70’s.” The assembly was attended mainly by campers from New York State and Pennsylvania and was held under the auspices of the American Zionist Youth Foundation. The head of the Youth & Hechalutz Department, who arrived in New York yesterday, visited several camps in the area. He was accompanied on his trip by Shlomo Ikan, the representative of the Youth & Hechalutz Department of the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem for the U.S., Michael Reiner, Director of the summer shlichim of the Youth & Hechalutz Department and Natan Yanai, the newly appointed Education Director of the American Zionist Youth Foundation.