Herut: Israel Must Dissociate Itself from U.S. Initiative; Dr. Goldmann Must Go

The Herut Party, ending its 10th national convention here, resolved today that Israel should dissociated itself from the United States peace initiative and recommended that Dr. Nahum Goldmann be deposed as president of the World Jewish Congress. The party agreed that the U.S. initiative would not bring peace and must be abandoned by Israel. Regarding Dr. Goldmann, who has suggested a “neutralized” Israel guarded by the major powers, the Herut convention called on the WJC executive to take the necessary steps toward relieving him of his post, which he has held since 1953. Herut, the rightist half of the Gahal faction, which quit the coalition cabinet over its acceptance of the U.S. initiative, also upheld Gahal’s earlier call for increased and hastened settlement in all parts of the occupied Arab territories, Menahem Beigin, the 57-year-old opposition leader, was reelected chairman of Herut, which he founded and has headed since 1948. In other resolutions, the Herut convention hailed Soviet Jewry for its courage in demanding the right to emigrate to Israel, endorsed such repatriation and urged the rest of the world to aid; called on world public opinion to reverse the “dangerous” Soviet intervention in the Mideast; recommended an appropriate democratic framework for the centralization of all pro-Israel movements, and stated that any pacts with Arab states be conditioned on their agreement to purge terrorists from their territories.

As the convention neared its end this morning after an all-night closing session, Mr. Beigin took Defense Minister Moshe Dayan to task on his attitude toward peace negotiations. He challenged Gen. Dayan, who was not present: “What is your alternative to the Jarring talks? Why are you zigzagging permanently from one side to another?” Mr. Beigin explained that he wanted Gen. Dayan to admit publicly the error of his ways, declaring that Gen. Dayan and he had agreed at cabinet sessions “for months” that Israeli participation in the Jarring talks should be “rejected emphatically” in favor of “direct negotiations.” “We even heard Dayan threaten to resign his post if the government does not decide to adjourn its participation in the Jarring talks,” Mr. Beigin continued. “And now Dayan is said to favor the talks.” (Gen. Dayan has denied he threatened to resign.) Mr. Beigin reasserted that he does not believe the Jarring talks can end the war but that they could result in compulsory Israeli retreat beyond the boundaries now acceptable to the government. “These would be terrible concessions,” he stated. (It was announced in New York today that Beigin will be principal speaker and guest of honor at the annual banquet on Dec. 13 of the Zionist Organization of America. Gen. Dayan is also scheduled to visit the United States next month on behalf of United Jewish Appeal.)