Cabinet ministers on various overseas junkets have returned to Israel assuring that the full Cabinet will be present tomorrow when it meets to formulate Israel’s replies to key questions posed by the United States on the future status of the West Bank and political self-expression for the Palestinians.
Defense Minister Ezer Weizman returned Thursday evening after a surprise overnight trip to London which aroused widespread speculation as to its purpose. Premier Menachem Begin left a meeting of the Herut Central Committee to meet with Weizman as soon as he arrived in Jerusalem to hear his report. They conferred for 20 minutes in a closed off area after which Weizman left. He refused to comment to reporters on any aspect of his brief trip.
Observers now believe that the Israeli defense chief did not meet with an Arab or African personality as originally rumored but might have had a secret meeting with a senior statesman of undisclosed nationality either in London or at Zurich where he boarded an El Al flight home Thursday evening.
Meanwhile Minister of Education Zevulun Hammer and Religious Affairs Minister Aharon Abu Hazeira, both of the National Religious Party, have returned from visits to the U.S. and Agriculture Minister Ariel Sharon returned from London. There was no Cabinet meeting today because of the Shavuot holiday.
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.
