Rabin: Israel Locked in ‘bitter Argument’ with U.S. over Plan to Sell Military Hardware to Egypt

Premier Yitzhak Rabin conceded in the Knesset today that Israel is locked in a “bitter argument” with the U.S. over the Ford Administration’s intention to sell arms to Egypt. He said the argument was “bitter” precisely because the issue was of crucial importance to Israel and because American is Israel’s “best friend in the world.”

Rabin, who spoke in reply to four agenda motions on the issue of U.S. arms sales to Egypt, said his government would seek to explain to the Ford Administration that the sale of arms to Egypt could lead to disaster in the Middle East. Israel will “do everything we can” to “prevent the final arms sales decision being taken,” Rabin pledged. He denied a charge by Likud MK Haim Landau that he had deliberately withheld information on the projected U.S. weapons supply to Egypt from the Knesset and the Cabinet.

The Premier said that he had reported immediately on his return from the U.S. last month that Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger had informed him of Washington’s plan to sell Egypt six Hercules C-130 military transport planes. He said he made his report to the Cabinet and to the Knesset’s foreign affairs and security committee.

Israel’s first knowledge of the C-130 deal with Egypt came on Feb. 3 when Kissinger informed Rabin of the plans in Los Angeles. On March 1, Undersecretary of State Joseph J. Sisco summoned Israeli Ambassador Simcha Dinitz and told him the U.S. was also considering the sale of other military equipment to Egypt. Dinitz was instructed immediately to ask for an urgent meeting with Kissinger to express Israel’s vigorous objection in principle to a U.S. arms relationship with Egypt. The Israeli envoy lodged Israel’s protest last week, Rabin said.

CONCERNED OVER ARMS SUPPLY PRECEDENT

The Premier said Israel explained to the U.S. that it was less concerned over the particular items to be sold to Egypt than over the creation of an “arms supply precedent.” Rabin said Israel had three causes for anxiety:

Any additional weaponry supplied to the Arabs increased the threat to Israel’s security; American equipment is superior to Soviet equipment in many instances and Egypt would therefore benefit from the best that each superpower has to offer, while Israel would lose the advantage it has had until now of being able to confront Soviet weapons in Arab hands with superior American equipment; arms sales to Egypt would change the situation in which the U.S. hitherto has balanced Soviet arms supplies to the Arabs by supplying arms to Israel.

If the U.S. begins to supply Egypt, it would become “an accelerating factor” in the arms race rather than a balancing factor, Rabin said.

Landau accused the government of “waking up at the 11th hour” and asked, “Are we to swallow Kissinger’s sedative pills?” His motion and the three others on the same issue were referred to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee.