Day-long Exchange of Fire from Egyptian and Lebanese Borders

Exchanges of fire were reported today from the Lebanese border and the Egyptian cease-fire line while the Syrian Aviv. the Deputy Premier said both sides’ interests would be served by a disengagement to defuse the military confrontation. He said in this meeting that Israel should favorably consider the proposal of the Jordanian delegation chief, Foreign Minister Zaid el-Rifai, at the Geneva convention to separate the forces on the eastern border as well. He agreed that there was no parallel between this and the Egyptian front-therefore the solution should also be different. Nevertheless he thought that such an act would be able to serve the interests of both sides

At the Cabinet meeting the National Religious Party Ministers queried Allon’s remarks-and though the Deputy Premier read out the exact text of his speech, in which he stressed the difference in the situation on the Jordan and that on the Suez Canal-the NRP remained dissatisfied. “Why create a problem where none exists?” asked Yosef Burg. the Interior Minister. Mrs. Meir assured the Cabinet that no disengagement talks were envisaged with Jordan at this stage. Cabinet sources said the Minister heard only a brief report on the conference opening from Premier Meir and there would be another Cabinet session this week to hear Eban’s own full report–including his meeting with Gromyko.

Another task which will apparently face the Cabinet when Eban returns will be to appoint a permanent representative to the conference. Officials here are waiting to hear from Eban whether this must be done now or can be left till after the elections. Among the names being aired: Ephraim Evron and Zeev Sheck, both senior Foreign Ministry officials who were with Eban in Geneva. Authoritative sources scotch rumors that Yosef Tekoah will get the job. His image as the United Nations Ambassador rules him out–since Israel wants above all to minimize the UN role at the conference.

Line was quiet. There were no casualties in the long series of small arms and artillery exchanges during the day. Incidents were reported from the Ismailia sector where Egyptians opened small arms and mortar fire mainly in the Abalswair area. Small arms and artillery fire was opened by the Egyptians in the Fayid region. In one instance shooting developed as the Egyptians attempted to improve their positions.

Small arms and artillery fire was also reported from the area north of the town of Suez. Fire was returned. At noon today a number of mortar shells were fired from the Lebanese territory at Israeli forces on the Djabel Ross-Mount Dov region which is the southeastern edge of the Lebanese-Israeli border. There were no casualties.

Six Israeli soldiers were wounded in shooting incidents along the Egyptian front between Thursday and midnight Saturday, a military spokesman reported. He said the firing was almost continuous over the weekend with Egyptian forces using virtually every weapon in their arsenal from small arms and mortars to artillery, tanks and “Sager” anti-tank missiles. Israeli forces returned the fire.

The first casualty of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) was suffered Thursday. A UN spokesman said a Finnish soldier was grazed by a bullet in the right temple as Israeli and Egyptian forces exchanged fire near the town of Suez. The wound was described as slight. Two Israeli soldiers were wounded Thursday in a shooting exchange west of Fayid and two others were hit by Egyptian fire east of El Bafeh island. A fifth Israeli soldier was wounded Friday during a shooting spree in the Jabel Attaka region in the southern section of the cease-fire. Another was hit shortly after midnight last night west of Fayid.