Current reports of “one-sided” Israeli gestures to Egypt concerning the West Bank residents have caused consternation among some of the Cabinet ministers still remaining in Israel, but all have agreed to wait until Premier Menachem Begin’s return from the United States tomorrow before reacting publicly.
The so-called Israeli gestures to which Begin has reportedly agreed include a cessation of administrative arrests in the West Bank, cancellation of the prohibition on political conventions, permitting West Bank residents who left the country in 1967 to be reunited with their families, and a dissolution of the military government headquarters in West Bank cities.
“Israel has not left itself any leverage with which to conduct the forthcoming negotiations on autonomy,” commented one minister. Another added that the gestures were most likely the work of journalists, and that he found it hard to believe that Begin would agree to such acts.
The government discussed the issue of Israeli gestures to Egypt twice before, once before Begin’s departure to Washington and again last Sunday under the chairmanship of Acting Premier Zevulun Hammer, It appears that the government rejected some of the gestures it was requested to make, but current reports indicate that Begin conceded to the requests while in Washington. For instance, while Israel agreed to the dissolution of the military headquarters in the Gaza Strip, the same agreement was apparently not forthcoming as concerns cities in the West Bank.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
