Mrs. Meir Tells Bishop Ban on Villager Return ‘irreversible’

Premier Golda Meir told Greek Catholic Archbishop Joseph Raya today that the government’s decision to bar the return of former residents of Baram and Ikrit on the Lebanese border was irreversible. She explained that security considerations still prevailed and that the government feared to create a precedent under which the former inhabitants of 20 other evacuated Arab villages would seek to return to their homesites.

Mrs. Meir stressed to the Archbishop, the spokesman for the evacuated settlers, that the government had invested great effort and resources into rehabilitating the Arabs who had lived in Baram and Ikrit, and was willing to help others in the same situation. She said there were other reasons for the government’s decision, but did not elaborate.

The Israeli leader appealed to the evacuated villagers, through Archbishop Raya, not to break the law as they did yesterday by trespassing on property now belonging to the government’s Lands Authority. As she spoke, hundreds of villagers remained encamped in the church and other buildings in Baram. Fourteen of them were forcibly arrested yesterday when they refused to leave, and they were still being questioned today in the Safed police station. Also as Mrs. Meir spoke, Knesset member Uri Avneri of Haolam Hazeh led a demonstration in the square outside her office.

Archbishop Raya, on leaving the office, made no effort to hide his disappointment over Mrs. Meir’s statement. He said he would not accept it and would continue to protest it. Meanwhile, the anti-Israel New Communist (Rakach) Party requested an urgent Knesset debate on the matter. Supporters of Rakach and of the New Leftist Matzpen and Siah factions headed for Baram to express solidarity with the villagers.

Deputy Premier Yigal Allon, one of four Cabinet ministers to oppose the government’s decision, told a television interviewer last night that he remained unconvinced of its justice. But, he said, as a Cabinet member he would not argue the matter in public, and he appealed to the villagers not to break the law. Those who consider themselves residents of Baram number 1900, including since-grown offspring of original villagers. Those seeking to return to Ikrit number 600.