President Yitzhak Navon, in a rare political comment, has criticized Defense Minister Ezer Weizman for his repeated public endorsements of the re-election of President Carter. He told Jewish leaders from the United States and Canada, who are here for the 1980 Israel Bonds Prime Ministers conference, that Weizman’s deprecatory remarks on Israel television last week about Democratic challenger Sen. Edward Kennedy (D.Mass.) had been a “grievous mistake.”
Israel’s Presidents do not usually take part in political controversies. Navon’s comments came Friday when one of the Bonds delegates shouted, “We will replace Carter.” Navon replied that “unlike our Minister of Defense I do not meddle in American politics. I’m sorry, but it was a grievous mistake….”
Weizman, who was criticized both in Israel and the United States after he expressed the hope during his recent visit to the U.S. that Carter would be re-elected, stirred up the controversy again last week when he said that Kennedy had not done anything for Israel and would not be elected President.
MANN DEPLORES WEIZMAN’S INTRUSION
(In New York, Theodore Mann, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, issued a statement declaring he deplored “Weizman having ” once again intruded himself into the American political process.” Mann said that Weizman “correctly praises President Carter for his unforgettable role in the achievement of peace between Israel and Egypt but the criticism Mr. Weizman has expressed of Senator Kennedy is entirely unfounded and unwarranted. Senator Kennedy’s long and distinguished record as a staunch supporter of Israel’s cause is unimpeachable.”
(Mann said Weizman was incorrect when he said that Kennedy had not bothered to say “a good word” throughout the Camp David negotiations and that only now does he have anything favorable to say about Israel. Mann cited, as one example, a statement by Kennedy on Sept. 18, 1978 that “The Camp David agreements represent a major milestone in the 30-year quest for peace in the Middle East. President Carter, Prime Minister (Menachem) Begin and President (Anwar) Sadat deserve the congratulations of all the people’s of the world for the good will, hard work and willingness to compromise which has produced this monumental achievement.”
(Noting that Weizman may be correct or incorrect in his prediction that Carter will be reelected, Mann stressed that by making public his prediction, Mr. Weizman has at the same time denigrated those other aspirants for America’s highest office–Republicans as well as Democrats — who by their support of Israel’s cause have continued the tradition of American bipartisan effort in Israel’s behalf so essential to the security of the Jewish State.”)
EVRON CRITICAL OF MANN
(In Washington, Israeli Ambassador Ephraim Evron has questioned the appropriateness of the disapproval of Weizman expressed by the Presidents Conference, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency was informed by an Israeli source today. In a conversation with Mann, Evron reportedly said the Presidents Conference was not justified in criticizing Weizman in the way it did. The source said Evron did not enter into a discussion with Mann regarding the Presidential election campaign here but merely spoke of the Presidents Conference’s criticism of Weizman.)
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.
