Two coalition factions, the Democratic Movement for Change and Aguda, have separately aired their belief in the need for Premier Menachem Begin to adopt a softer line than heretofore if the opportunity presented by the visit of President Anwar Sadat is to be properly exploited. DMC chief Yigael Yadin told the reporter for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency Sadat would be hearing his faction’s positions at the scheduled meeting with him tomorrow. The clear implication was that the positions as presented by Begin to Sadat would not necessarily reflect completely DMC’s positions. Yadin noted there was Cabinet consensus on objection to a Palestinian state, objection to the PLO at Geneva and objection to total withdrawal from occupied territories. Mondale drew heavy applause when he said, ” President Sadat deserves the congratulations of all the world for his courage.”
He added that Begin and Sadat have “demonstrated not only to their own people, but to the world that higher standard of leadership in breaking through the weight of past positions and a generation of suspicion to take this immensely important step towards peace. This government and the American people applaud President Sadat and Prime Minister Begin for their vision, their boldness, and their commitment to the search for peace.”
Mondale said that “all of us know that this historic meeting will not by itself cut through all the accumulated fears and problems which divide the nations of the Middle East. But what took place this morning in Jerusalem was a step toward greater understanding.”
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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.
