Israeli sources confirmed today that Israeli Premier Golda Meir will meet with President Nixon and Secretary of State William P. Rogers early next month to discuss the general position of Israel in the tense Middle East. The sources said that the Soviet Union was determined to raise the Middle East issue in the summit conference between Nixon and Soviet leaders in Moscow next May.
In light of these reported developments, together with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s threats to engage in war to recover the Sinai and admission by State Department sources that the American initiative for an agreement between Israel and Egypt is stalled, the sources said that Israeli authorities considered it essential that an exchange of views take place on the highest level between the US and Israel.
They said that even if no immediate decisions are taken by the US government, Israel must have an opportunity to communicate to Nixon its political and security requirements. Such a meeting, the sources stated, is of importance to Israel even if Mrs. Meir returns to Israel “empty-handed.” They stressed that the main purpose of the visit is not to obtain additional Phantoms nor to participate in the General Assembly debate on the Middle East.
The sources stated that while the Middle East may not be the most important issue for the US or USSR, it is naturally of the utmost concern for Israel. They also doubted that shooting would take place before the end of the year, but thought it likely that for political purposes, to convince the US to pressure Israel for concessions, the Egyptians might inaugurate limited warfare in the near future.
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.
