Israel has prepared a revised list of its future weapons requirements to present to U.S. Defense Secretary Harold Brown who is expected here Tuesday after visits to Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. The list is said to reflect a new assessment of Israel’s defense needs in light of the probable military alliance between Syria and Iraq and Israel’s projected withdrawal from Sinai under terms of a peace treaty with Egypt.
It was prepared by the planning department of General Headquarters and the equivalent department of the Defense Ministry and replaces the so-called “Treasure C” weapons list that was submitted to the Americans over a year ago. The new list is reportedly smaller but no less costly than the earlier one inasmuch as Israel is seeking some of the latest and most sophisticated electronic weapons systems.
Meanwhile, new differences have developed with Washington over Brown’s itinerary while he is in Israel. He has agreed to inspect installations in Sinai, the Golan Heights and the Negev but so far has declined to visit the West Bank. The Israelis consider it essential that Brown tour that territory because of the possible emergence of a powerful new Arab force on the eastern front consisting of Syria and Iraq as well as Jordan.
They warn to impress open the Defense Secretary Israel’s view that West Bank is vital to its security and Believe this can best be done if he sees for himself the vantage points from which Jordanian guns once menaced Israel’s coastal plain.
It is understood that Brown agreed to go to two sites, one in Judaea and one in the Samaria region but the Israelis are not satisfied and the issue remains unresolved. Brown will be received by a military guard of honor. The Defense Ministry has assigned Gen. Nathaniel Sharoni, head of the Army Planning Division, to serve as his escort.
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.
