Bryan Malroney, the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, said here last night that peace negotiations in the Middle East “must deal with Israel’s recognition by Arab states as well as Israel’s legitimate security concerns.”
But, the opposition leader told the State of Israel Bonds dinner which was attended by 500 people, “the key to achieving an overall peace settlement” is “the settlement of the Palestinian question. Israel must accept its share of the responsibility to resolve the plight of the Palestinians.”
Malroney stated that the Palestinian people “must be represented in peace negotiations, but their purported representatives must forswear the use of violence and terrorism, recognize the State of Israel, and commit themselves to a political solution.” Assuming these pre-conditions can be met, he said, “the nature of a Palestinian homeland within the West Bank and Gaza areas should be a principal subject of negotiations.”
Discussing Canada-Israel relations, Malroney said he did not know what opportunities may arise for Canada “to make some contributions to stability and peace in the Middle East” but “whatever the situation, there are some things that, so far as I am concerned, are immutable and not negotiable. One is our close historic, democratic ties with Israel, our support for the integrity of Israel and for the ‘idea’ that is Israel.”
The opposition leader concluded his address by attacking the Soviet Union for showing “relentless hostility to its almost three million Jews.” He called for stronger Canadian protest against Soviet policies on civil liberties, religious freedom and emigration.
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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.
