The best time for peace negotiations is right now. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan declared last night at a rally of soldiers concluding the winter maneuvers of the Golani Brigade at the Convention Center. Dayan added, however, that if war was forced on Israel its army will be up to the challenge. Earlier this week, the brigade commander said a large part of its maneuvers had been devoted to crossing water obstacles and establishing strongholds on their far sides.
Dayan said the year of relative calm along the Suez Canal had created a military detents and an atmosphere conducive to negotiations, but he rejected Egyptian-set preconditions and ultimatums. “The present hour demands negotiations because of what could happen otherwise,” Dayan said.
$500M SPENT ON ISRAEL’S FORTIFICATIONS
“If fire is resumed it will be much more difficult to hold negotiations afterwards. I hope the decision about to be taken by Egypt is not only against warfare but also for genuine negotiations for a peace settlement.” The Defense Minister revealed that $500 million has been spent on fortifying Israel’s borders since the Six-Day War–half of it along the canal, one-quarter on the Jordanian border and one-quarter on the Syrian and Lebanese borders.
Half the total sum went for fortifications proper, and half for such additional requirements as water, communications and roads. Dayan added that vast sums were needed for immigrant absorption, but asserted that there were hundreds of millions of (IL) pounds available for it and that defense funding need not be compromised.
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