Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan said here yesterday that he was optimistic that an agreement would be reached in 1978 to “end the state of war” between Israel and its Arab neighbors. He said he expected President Carter to continue the efforts of the Nixon and Ford Administrations “to bring the parties together to make peace.”
Dayan addressed Israel Bond leaders at a reception given in his honor at Gracie Mansion by Mayor and Mrs. Abraham D. Beame. He said he based his optimism on changes in the Arab world which indicated that the Arabs were prepared for negotiations. One of these was the emergence of Saudi Arabia as “the banker of the Arab world.”
He said the Saudis “will back pro-Western countries such as Jordan and now Egypt to help them negotiate with Israel.” He said that Saudi Arabia, by virtue of its close relationship with the U.S. “will not push the Arabs to another war which would mean becoming closer to Russia.”
Dayan predicted that the Geneva conference would not yield “an all-out peace” that “would establish normal relations between Israel and the Arabs. But I believe there is a good chance for ending the state of war, which is a lot,” he said. He said he expected that after Israel’s elections May 17 “confidential talks” would ensue with the encouragement of the U.S. that might result in a draft agreement to be brought to Geneva next year. He stressed the necessity of a prior draft agreement because “You can’t go to Geneva right away. If you do, you will fail.” He thought that the Carter Administration’s Middle East diplomacy would be conducted “with the same persistence and dynamics” as during the Kissinger era though “not in such an obvious way.”
Beame lauded Dayan as one of the “few men (who) have won the praise of their contemporaries” and a man who has given new meaning to the word “hero.” David H. Zysman. New York executive director of the Israel Bond program, said the reception at Gracie Mansion “will help us launch a $75 million campaign in the Greater New York area for 1977.” The reception was attended by more than 200 Jewish and municipal leaders.
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