Defense Minister Moshe Dayan made it clear to his close associates in the Labor Party last night that his decision not to participate in the next Cabinet did not constitute a challenge to Premier Golda Meir, a threat to pull out of the party or a tactic to force Labor into a national unity coalition with Likud.
Members of the former Rafi faction who heard directly from Dayan, stressed today that he decided not to participate in the next government “under present conditions.” According to them, this meant he would reverse his decision if those conditions were eliminated, meaning an end to the criticism of his performance as Defense Minister from within the Labor Alignment.
The explanations by Dayan’s friends this morning partially defused the bombshell of the announcement yesterday that Dayan would not serve in the next Cabinet. At the same time, the likelihood grew today that a new coalition government, based on the present partnership of Labor, the National Religious Party and the Independent Liberal Party, would be formed before the end of the day. (See separate story.) The feeling here also is that when the time comes for Premier Meir to name her new ministers, Dayan will once again hold the defense portfolio.
In an apparent qualification of his statement that he would not join the next Cabinet, “under present conditions,” Dayan told the General Zionist Council plenary here today that he was ready to give Mrs. Meir “all possible assistance” in forming a new Cabinet. He made that statement in reply to a question.
OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ISRAELI MILITARY SITUATION
His one-hour formal address involved an analysis of Israel’s military situation, on which he was optimistic. He said the near future might offer a most important opportunity for some kind of political settlement with the Arabs. He said he had a great respect for the disengagement agreement with Egypt but that he felt the real test for Israel was in the coming months. Dayan stated, that Egypt’s motivation for war would be renewed if some settlement was not achieved. He said “we must therefore make a supreme effort to reach a settlement that will make possible the de-fusing of the war.”
Dayan also expressed optimism about prospects for a disengagement of forces with the Syrians. “They can boast as much as they wish but we shall reach some kind of a settlement because the present lines are uncomfortable. They will come to the discussion table, because they need it,” he said. Dayan noted that although Israel’s status was unique in that she was the only country in the world depending on only one source of supply of arms, “there was no threat to the existence of the State of Israel. Security problems in the general context of Israel’s existence are only marginal.”
However, he added, one of the major problems Israel was facing was that of a limited source of manpower. “When we are trying to train 100 pilots we face the difficult question of where to take them from. Where is the Jewish people from which we can select those 100 pilots?” he asked.
The Defense Minister praised the present relations between Israel and the U.S. “I have no words to praise Prof. Kissinger enough,” he said. “I have no trace of a complaint against him. Certainly, he is the Secretary of State of the United States, but he has never cheated us. The Arabs trust him too, which I have nothing against. We cannot reach a settlement with the Arabs if there is no mediating unit which both sides trust.” Dayan added that if the disengagement with Syria works out, most of the reservists recruited during the war will be released.
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.
