Cabinet in 11-hour Debate on the Peace Treaty; Indications Are the Treaty Will Be Approved by Majori

The Cabinet debated the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty draft for seven hours today and adjourned this evening without reaching any decision. The discussion will be resumed tomorrow morning. All signs indicate that the draft will be approved by a majority of the ministers, subject to a series of amendments that Israel will demand when the draft is returned to Washington.

So far, the Cabinet has devoted 11 hours to the draft treaty–it debated for more than four hours last night–which Justice Minister Shmuel Tamir described as the most profound and heart-searching deliberation that has ever taken place in the Cabinet. As of this evening, six ministers, including Premier Menachem Begin, had yet to express their views. According to one Cabinet source, about a dozen of the 18 ministers will support the draft with amendments but 3-6 hardliners are expected to vote against it.

Finance Minister Simcha Ehrlich of Likud’s Liberal Party faction told reporters after today’s session that he “hoped” tomorrow’s decision will be positive. But his Liberal Party colleague, Energy Minister Yitzhak Modai, said he was dissatisfied with several clauses and is considered likely to vote against the draft or abstain. Tamir, a member of the Democratic Party, said the ministers were divided not only along party lines but on matters of conscience and deeply held views.

There were strong indications that Begin will recommend a favorable vote. A radio report this evening said Begin denied earlier press reports that he “had reservations about the draft.” His reservations, the radio report said, were over particular points in the text but not the text as a whole.

There was no information as to what specific points Begin objected to or what amendments the Cabinet will propose. According to one source, the Premier’s dissatisfaction did not stem from the sensitive issue of linkage between the peace treaty and future progress in resolving the problems of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

In fact, Begin was said to have been pleased with “remarkable progress” in the wording of the linkage issue in the draft preamble, compared to previous proposals by the U.S. and Egypt. According to reports from Washington, Israel agreed to a sentence in the preamble noting that the peace treaty is a step toward an overall Arab-Israeli settlement involving all issues.

DIFFERENCES AMONG OFFICIALS

After their close questioning by the Cabinet last night, Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan and Defense Minister Ezer Weizman, co-chairmen of the Israeli negotiating team at the Washington peace talks, briefed members of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Yehuda Ben-Meir, chairman of the National Religious Party (NRP) Knesset faction who is a member of the committee, said later that he was “not at peace” with the “linkage” provision. He said if the Cabinet failed to demand a revision of that clause in the preamble, he would oppose the draft and urge his party to do the same. The NRP Knesset faction will meet after tomorrow’s Cabinet session to decide its stand.

Former Premier Yitzhak Rabin, also a member of the Knesset committee, said after the briefing that the problems being debated fell “within the framework of the Camp David agreements.” This was a significant statement inasmuch as opponents of the treaty draft have been insisting that it deviates from the Camp David accords.

Rabin commands respect because of his past experience and the fact that he has not joined other Laborites, including Labor Alignment chairman Shimon Peres, in attacking the Begin government for being too conciliatory. Peres told reporters today that the treaty draft reflected the growing role of the U.S. and remarked that “people are a bit worried that maybe we are losing a little bit of our independence.”

Sources close to Begin said today that he is acutely aware of the uneasiness that has developed in both coalition and opposition circles. The sources said he would meet with the various factions in an effort to allay their fears.