Israeli, Egyptian Reps Urge Israel’s Arab Neighbors to Join the Camp David Peace Process

The political counselors at the Israeli and Egyptian Embassies here called on Israel’s other Arab neighbors to join the Camp David process and negotiate peace treaties with Israel but gave different reasons for them to do so.

“Israel is entitled to security” and through the Camp David process Israel and Egypt “found the ways and means of achieving it” on Israel’s southern border, Dr. Hussein Hassouna, a political counselor and thirdranking official at the Egyptian Embassy told some 200 persons attending the monthly B’nai B’rith Public Affairs forum here yesterday.

“I think the old equation of peace against territory which was the beginnings of the foundation of peace is still valid,” Hassouna said. He said Israel’s Arab neighbors, can be convinced by Israel that “you can get these territories if you guarantee us peace and security.”

But Robbie Sabel, political counselor at the Israel Embassy, said that “we’re not asking for recognition” from Israel’s Arab neighbors. “We are there. What we are suggesting is that for their own good, the Arab states follow Egypt and reach an agreement with us.” He said both Jordan and Syria, as neighbors of Israel, must begin to realize the best way to solve disputes is through negotiations.

Sabel’s comments come after he had collapsed three times during his opening remarks at the forum sponsored by B’nai B’rith Lodges. But he refused attention from a para-medical unit and was able to answer questions from the audience later.

AGREEMENT ON EGYPT’S ROLE

Both officials, who participated in much of the Camp David negotiations which were held in Washington, agreed that Egypt has continued to be the leader of the Arab world despite the break in relations that resulted from Arab protests over Egypt’s negotiations with Israel.

“We signed the peace treaty with Egypt knowing that Egypt was the leader of the Arab world,” Sabel declared. “It has never left” its status in the Arab world. Hassouna stressed that since Egypt has relations now with both Israel and the Arab world, it can now serve as a “bridge” between the two and act as a “broker of peace” in the Middle East.

The two diplomats agreed that the next step is to achieve an autonomy agreement for the Palestinian Arabs on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. But Hassouna said this must be “full autonomy” with legislative and judicial powers and not just the executive powers Israel wants to give. He also said the Palestinians have to be able to fill their aspirations for a “homeland” of their own.

URGES U.S. DIALOGUE WITH PALESTINIANS

Hassouna called on the United States and the American Jewish community to take the lead in helping to bring this about. He called on the U.S. to begin a “dialogue” with the Palestinians although he stressed that he was not asking the U.S. to break its pledge not to deal with the Palestine Liberation Organization until it recognizes Israel. He said the U.S. could begin by talking to Palestinians” in Beirut and the West Bank.

Sabel said it was “touch and go” whether autonomy would be achieved because the PLO was trying to prevent this from happening just as it was seeking to destroy the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. He said the Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza would accept the autonomy process if they believed that the PLO did not have the power to interfere.

In his remarks, Hassouna noted that the peace process began in November 1977 when Egyptian President Anwar Sadat went to Jerusalem. Jack Spitzer, president of B’nai B’rith International, noted that for many at the B’nai B’rith International headquarters here, the peace process began in March 1977 when Egyptian Ambassador Ashraf Ghorbal led a group of Moslem envoys in negotiating with a group of Hanafi Moslems the release of hostages held in the very same eighth floor meeting room in which yesterday’s forum took place.