Cabinet Discusses Carter-begin Talks

The Cabinet met today to discuss Premier Menachem Begin’s meetings with President Carter in Washington last week and the autonomy talks with Egypt and the U.S. which resume later this month at Herzliya. Egypt will be represented by Prime Minister Mustopha Khalil and Foreign Minister Butros Ghali.

The Cabinet, which usually convenes on Sunday, postponed its meeting until today because of Memorial Day and Independence Day. The ministers devoted most of the session to Begin’s Washington visit. It was learned later that Agriculture Minister Ariel Sharon accused Begin, Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir and Interior Minister Yosef Burg, head of the Israeli autonomy negotiating team, of having over–stepped the Cabinet’s mandate while they were in Washington.

Specifically, Sharon charged that they had no right to discuss the question of water rights on the West Bank under the autonomy scheme or to agree to the creation of a “continuing committee” which is to take up issues that are unresolved after a general agreement on autonomy is reached.

Begin replied that he had made no concessions. He said his talks in Washington were useful and expressed hope that President Anwar Sodat would adopt a positive position toward some of the ideas he raised in his talks with Carter.

The Cabinet did not take up Defense Minister Ezer Weizman’s controversial television interview last week in which he said he favored early elections and took issue with the Likud government policies while Begin was in Washington. Weizman had been expected to come under bitter attack by some of his fellow ministers but Begin apparently passed the word that he did not want to force Weizman to resign.

RAID ON TERRORIST BASE TERMED SUCCESSFUL

Chief of Staff Gen. Raphael Eytan briefed the ministers on Israel’s commando raid on a terrorist training base in south Lebanon last Friday. He said it was “very successful” and prevented a massive terrorist assault on Israel that had been planned for Independence Day.

Weizman and Shamir briefed the Cabinet on the situation arising from the killing of two Irish soldiers attached to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). They were reportedly slain in a revenge killing by Shiite Moslem villagers but blame has been placed on Maj. Soad Hoddad’s Christian militia which recently clashed with Irish troops.

Israel supplies Hoddad with weapons and money. Weizman said army officers have been instructed to do their best to persuade Hoddad to restrain his militiamen and not attack any UNIFIL contingents. Cabinet Secretary Arye Noor told reporters later that Israel did not control south Lebanon and could not apply force on Hoddad.

The Cabinet had planned to meet again tomorrow to discuss the legal status of Jewish settlements on the West Bank. That session was postponed at the request of the Liberal Party and Democratic Movement ministers who argued that it would only dramatize the settlements issue and arouse a negative reaction abroad.