President Ephraim Katzir told Israelis that “We are all to blame” for the many military and political mistakes made in connection with the Yom Kippur war and urged that the investigation of those mistakes not be aimed at “punishing one another.”
Katzir, interviewed on radio, was referring to the judicial inquiry into the war due to begin soon. He said it should be aimed at learning lessons which might determine the fate of the Jewish people. “We wanted to live in a utopian world which is not exactly identical to the real world in which we live.” he said.
Asked if he thought the nation was in a state of shock, Katzir said: “The Jewish people are a wise people but we suddenly felt the powerful Arab military might and the need for common action–something we were unaccustomed to. In addition, there was the pain felt at our losses. As a result, we have begun to review our actions soberly, with muted pain and no small sorrow at what has happened to us.”
Asked what he thought of prospects for a peace conference with the Arabs, the President said the current cease-fire talks with Egypt might provide the first opening. “Perhaps the Arabs also understand now that the Jewish people will do everything to defend their state, Maybe the Arabs now will think twice whether it pays for them to once more sacrifice their sons and fathers for the dubious goal of satisfying their hatred,” Katzir said.
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.
