Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan criticized the U.S. connection of its military aid to Israel with its negotiating efforts in the Middle East and emphasized Israel must remain strong to negotiate agreements. “Unless Israel is ready to have another war, we will have to accept a dictate,” he said yesterday to a reporter who met him at the State Department shortly before he began his second private meeting in two weeks with Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger.
Dayan said the U.S. linkage of military assistance to the negotiating process under cover of “reassessment” of policy is “a warning and a challenge that unless you do what we want, we won’t provide weapons.” He said “It’s not a reassessment; its a suspension.” While Israel would be in a “very bad position” if it does not receive U.S. arms, he said, Israel does not have to diminish its national purposes because of American policy. “We have lived for 4000 years.” he said, indicating that Israel will continue to try to be its own master.
Neither the State Department nor the Israeli Embassy would comment on the meeting that lasted about 45 minutes. According to Israeli sources Kissinger heard Dayan was in Washington for the United Jewish Appeal and invited him to his office as he did on the previous occasion. They pointed out that Dayan speaks as an individual.
Dayan also said that after the Kissinger effort for a second Egyptian-Israeli agreement broke down last month, the U.S. told the Israelis not to send a military mission to Washington to contract for F-15 planes and “a concrete promise” for delivery to Israel of the Lance missile was “suspended” pending the results of the “reassessment.”
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