Sen. Frank Church (D. Idaho) called last night for a peace policy in the Middle East based on a strategy that rewards those nations who work to construct, complete and enlarge peace. Church, who is the new chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke at the 71st annual dinner of B’nai Zion, at which he received Bnai Zion’s American-Israel Friendship Medal from Paul ### Bnai Zion president. The dinner was attended by 2000 persons.
Church called on the United States and its allies to be “prepared to invest generously in the furtherance of peace.” He said: “Let us begin our new partnership with the first two peace-maken, Israel and Egypt. We can help Egyptian President. Anwar Sadat with his pressing economic problems Take, for example, Egypt’s dwindling harvest.”
Church pointed out that “Israel’s advanced irrigation techniques could be of great help to the Egyptians in making their deserts bloom as the spectacular success of the Negev proves. The opportunities are ample for the creation of joint projects for water desalination, reclamation, and solar energy.”
He commended President Carter for taking a first step in this direction “by recommending special assistance to Israel for the re-location of the military airfields in the Sinai. We must also be aware that Israel, like Egypt, will require help in building up its civilian intro-structure in the Negev to accommodate the new lines of territorial withdrawal.” Carter, Israel’s Premier Menachem Begin and Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan sent messages of praise to Bnai Zion for choosing Church for its award.
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