Rabbi Israel Miller, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, made this report of an off-the-record briefing yesterday evening to the Presidents Conference by Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Simcha Dinitz.
Dinitz, Rabbi Miller said, made four major points: “It was Egypt’s intransigence and refusal to renounce its state of war with Israel that led to the suspension of the Mideast peace talks; Israel offered major concessions to Egypt–far beyond what it had originally proposed–in an effort to reach agreement; and those concessions were flatly refused by the Egyptians.”
In addition, Dinitz was quoted as saying that Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger’s “efforts to bring the parties together and bridge the gap between them were constructive, creative, and tireless, but they were ultimately thwarted by (Egyptian President Anwar) Sadat’s hard-line attitude, which actually saw the Egyptians toughen their position as the negotiations continued.”
Finally, Rabbi Miller reported, Dinitz stated that “despite the suspension of the negotiations, the United States has not abandoned its leadership role in the search for peace in the Middle East. Israel owes a major debt of thanks to Secretary Kissinger for his dedication and to President Ford for America’s constructive role in the effort to end the state of war between Israel and her Arab neighbors and move forward to a just and lasting peace.”
SADAT SOUGHT TO EXPLOIT WEAKNESSES
Rabbi Miller himself commented: “It is obvious that the stiffening of Egypt’s demands and its refusal to accept Israel’s major concessions were based in part at least on our country’s current external and internal difficulties. Sadat knew the United State and Israel were both eager for an agreement.
“With the American position faltering in Southeast Asia, Greece and Turkey and Portugal, and with growing economic problems at hand Sadat clearly sought to exploit these weaknesses by becoming ever more adamant and intransigent, calculating that the United States would pressure Israel into accepting an agreement at any price–even if it meant the ultimate destruction of the Jewish State. But Sadat miscalculated. His rejection of Israel’s last offer led to the suspension of the talks.”
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