Dr. Yosef Burg, Israel’s Minister of Interior, declared today that President Reagan’s new peace plan for the Mideast is clearly “a deviation and departure from the letter and spirit of the Camp David agreements.”
Addressing a jointly sponsored leadership conference of the World Jewish Congress and the Synagogue Council of America, held at the Hyatt Hotel here, Burg, who has been the head of the Israel delegation to the Palestinian autonomy talks, which have been suspended since June 1979, said that Reagan’s request in his televised speech last night that Israel stop its settlement policy in the West Bank and Gaza,”is absolutely not included in the Camp David agreements.”
Furthermore, Burg insisted, the issue of Jerusalem, which also was discussed by Reagan last night, “is not mentioned in the Camp David agreements.”
“We cannot accept that (Jewish) settlements (in the West Bank and Gaza) are an obstacle to peace,” “Burg declared, adding” Eretz Yisrael cannot be restricted to our children.”
Burg pointed out that Israel’s position on Jerusalem was made clear during the Camp David talks to all the participants in formulating the agreements and there was nothing ambiguous about it.
Burg complained that in his speech Reagan did not give Israel the credit it deserves for reaching a peaceful solution in Beirut. He charged that Reagan’s” speech “gave vitamins and hormones to the PLO,” which was defeated by the Israel Defense Force.
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