Moshe Dayan, Foreign Minister of Israel, was due to return home tonight after a 24-hour private visit during which he briefed leaders of the Anglo-Jewish community about the Middle East situation. However, many observers remained skeptical about assurances that this was the only purpose of the visit. They were also unconvinced by Israeli denials that he would contact King Hussein of Jordan who is also here.
It would not have been the first such meeting between the Jordanian King and Israeli ministers to take place here in spite of subsequent denials.
Dayan’s meeting with the 20 religious and lay leaders of Britain’s Jewish community took place at the Israeli Embassy this morning and lasted for 90 minutes. Dayan spoke for 30 minutes and answered questions for the rest of the time.
At Dayan’s request the press was excluded and he asked the participants not to discuss the meeting with the media. However, one of the participants told the JTA that Dayan said little which had not already been said publicly by the present Israeli leadership. He had argued that the core of the conflict was still the Arab attitude to Israel’s right to exist; elaborated on the visit by U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance; and reaffirmed Israel’s determination to settle in the West Bank and its opposition to a Palestinian state and recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
This morning’s meeting was initiated by Dayan last Friday and formally approved by the Israeli Cabinet on Sunday. The Foreign Minister came only with his bodyguard and brought no political aides.
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.
