President Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale met with nine prominent American Jews, most of them leaders of nationwide communal organizations, for 31/2 hours last night at a private dinner meeting at the White House to discuss Middle East affairs. The Jewish leaders had been invited by Carter earlier in the week.
Rabbi Alexander Schindler, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said the dinner meeting took place in an atmosphere of friendliness and understanding. He indicated that, basically, Carter apprised his guests of his perceptions of Middle East problems in light of the visit by President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and asked for counsel from them on steps he might take to carry progress further towards a Middle East settlement.
Responding to the President’s request for counsel, Schindler indicated to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that most of the guests agreed that renewed and intensive face-to-face negotiations, not only on the military but on the political level, offered the best prospect for success. They urged the President, Schindler noted, to expend every effort to achieve reconstitution of the face-to-face political talks and continue to make the good offices of the U.S. government available to mediate between the parties as an honest broker and not as an arbiter.
CARTER APPEARS HOPEFUL
The JTA learned from one guest that all Middle East issues were discussed including the traditional U.S. stance, Israel’s security requirements, the Palestinians and Israeli settlements in occupied areas.
Carter, it was indicated by a guest, appeared hopeful about progress towards an Arab-Israeli agreement but he spoke of the possibility of miscalculation and warned that unless progress was forthcoming, Sadat may turn his back on the negotiating process and a unique possibility for peace would be lost.
Attending the meeting, in addition to Schindler, were: Frank Lautenberg, president of the United Jewish Appeal; Richard Maass, president of the American Jewish Committee; Theodore Mann, chairman of the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council; Philip Klutznick, president of the World Jewish Congress; David Blumberg, president of B’nai B’rith; Max Greenberg, chairman of the executive committee of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith; Edward Sanders, former chairman of the America-Israel Public Affairs Committee; and Albert Picker of Miami.
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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.
