Israeli Ambassador Simcha Dinitz said today that the assassination of king Faisal of Saudi Arabia was a reminder that in its pursuit of peace in the Middle East Israel must deal with regimes where in stability and assassinations are “rather the rule than the exception.”
The Israeli envoy was in the midst of an interview on the CBS Television Network’s Morning News when a bulletin announcing the assassination of King Faisal by a nephew, said to be mentally deranged, interrupted the program. Ambassador Dinitz was asked later by Hughes Rudd to comment on the assassination and its possible repercussions on Middle East peace efforts. “It is too early to judge because we don’t quite know what forces stood behind this man (the assassin) and whether he was really deranged–or a part of a plot.” Dinitz said.
“But be its as it may,” Dinitz added, “I think as far as we are concerned, a democracy in the Middle East, as Israelis, we must be doubly sure and doubly careful as we enter into any agreement, that we are dealing with the countries which are not changing the regimes by the normal democratic process as you and we recognize. And that may explain sometimes why we have to be so careful as we undertake commitment, and as we accept commitment, from our neighbors in making agreements and in advancing in our–trying to advance toward peace.”
Dinitz noted that as far as Israel is concerned, King Faisal “was not a man of peace” but a man who said that one million Arabs should give their lives in a holy war to destroy Israel.
(Meanwhile, there was no immediate official reaction in Israel to Faisal’s assassination. Government officials commented that the assassination is fresh evidence of the instability of Arab regimes and additional proof that Israel must maintain a firm policy toward those governments. They contended that the instability of the regimes bolstered Israel’s refusal to accept further Sinal withdrawals without specific and open moves by Egypt toward more peaceful relations with Israel.)
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
