Israel’s Differences with U.S. on Withdrawal Abating; Eban to Meet with Jarring

Israel’s see-saw relations with Washington are on the upswing again. Reliable sources said today that the improvement was the result of recent developments which disillusioned American officials about the sincerity of Egyptian protestations that it is ready to make peace. It was learned today that Foreign Minister Abba Eban will go to the U.S. early next week to meet United Nations mediator Gunnar V. Jarring and administration leaders, possibly President Nixon. What one Cabinet minister described last week as a “strenuous argument” between Israel and the U.S. on the issue of withdrawal from occupied territories appeared to have abated for the time being. Government officials reportedly learned that the U.S. tried to persuade UN Secretary General U Thant to “tone down” his criticism of Israel in last Friday’s progress report to the Security Council which urged the Israelis to make an advance commitment on withdrawal. If the Americans did not succeed it was not their fault, one Israeli official said today.

Eban is expected to try to persuade American officials to understand why Israel refuses to return to its pre-June 5, 1967 borders and to exploit what Foreign Ministry officials think was a tactical mistake by President Anwar Sadat of Egypt when he refused to accept cease-fire extension. Washington’s alleged disenchantment with Sadat wag said to have been re-enforced by the atter’s secret visit to Moscow last week which was disclosed only yesterday. U.S. officials recalled that when the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser went to Moscow in January, 1970, the result of his trip was a more massive Soviet military build-up in Egypt. Menachem Beigin, leader of the opposition Gahal faction, continued to demand new elections before Israel makes any decision on the withdrawal question. He told 1000 cheering students at the Haifa Technion last night that new elections would bring into office a new government that would not need to endorse the decisions of the previous government. Several 130 mm. katyusha ###kots were fired in the direction of ###the Golan Heights last night from behind Syrian lines. The fire was returned. No casualties or damage was reported.