Ambassador Moshe Arens of Israel cautioned that a free Lebanon cannot be achieved if the United States or Israel are at “cross purposes.” He said the first condition for a peaceful Lebanon which would be in the Western camp was “close coordination between Israel and the United States.” He warned against the impression being created in some quarters that Israel and the U.S. were at “loggerheads.”
Arens made these remarks at the opening session of the Zionist Organization of America’s two day leadership conference here which is being attended by more than 200 people.
The Ambassador said that in his discussions with the Reagan Administration and the State Department, he had urged that the problem of Lebanon be taken up first and not combined with the Palestinian problem. He also stated that Israel was “fortunate” in having President Reagan in the White House. He described Reagan as “the best friend Israel ever had. He cores for Israel.”
SAYS INTENTIONS, DECISIONS ARE NOT MATCHED
Ivan Novick, ZOA president, said at the same session that Reagan’s “good intentions” regarding the Middle East were not being matched by “good decisions,” and that the President was being influenced by those in public life who have tried in previous years to sway American support from Israel toward the Arab states.
Novick charged that the President’s recent proposals on the Middle East had brought about a situation where “America’s best friend in the Middle East, Israel, feels compromised; the Jewish community is resentful of the efforts made to divide us; and that the Arabs who President Reagan considered to be moderate have responded with platitudes but no action.”
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.
