A messenger from Likud leader Menachem Begin delivered a manilla envelope to Sen. Richard Stone (D. Fla.) just before he boarded a U.S. Air Force plane at Ben Gurion Airport yesterday at the end of his four-day visit to Israel. The envelope is believed to have contained a message from Begin to President Carter.
Stone, on a Mideast fact-finding mission, met twice with Begin during his stay in Israel. He was reportedly given to understand that there will be no significant changes in Israel’s approach to the Geneva conference under a Likud-led government. Like the outgoing Labor Alignment regime, a government headed by Begin will be ready to attend the Geneva conference on the invitation of the co-chairmen, the U.S. and the USSR, on the basis of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and without the participation of the PLO, Stone was told.
He was also reportedly told that while the new government would be ready to negotiate territorial concessions in Sinai and on the Golan Heights, Begin made it clear that there was no readiness to withdraw from the West Bank.
Nevertheless, there are indications that the hard line statements by Begin after his May 17 election victory may undergo considerable modification even before he takes office in order to persuade the Democratic Movement for Change to join his coalition. Begin’s victory statement at the illegal Kadum settlement near Nablus on the West Bank was regarded by many as ill-timed, unwarranted and politically damaging for Israel.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
