Israel Delaying Naming Peace Talk Representative Until Standstill Violations Dealt with

Israel was reported today to be deliberately delaying the appointment of a representative for peace talks with the Arabs under United Nations special envoy Gunnar V. Jarring until action is taken to restore the cease-fire status quo ante in the Suez Canal zone. The situation in the canal zone, where Israel claims Egypt moved Russian SAM missiles hours after the cease-fire went into effect Aug. 7, is the main topic of discussion. There is also mounting consternation over what is regarded as a less than vigorous response by the United States to Israel’s complaint. Minister of Tourism Moshe Kol said today that the credibility of the U.S. Government has been called into question by recent events. He mentioned the alleged cease-fire violation and the letter from Ambassador Jarring to UN Secretary General U Thant which omitted Israel’s conditions for accepting the American peace initiative. Mr. Kol, a leader of the Independent Liberal faction, is an influential member of the coalition cabinet. He originally supported the government’s acceptance of the U.S. peace initiative. But, he pointed out today, “it was accepted on the basis of clear commitments of the U.S. government concerning maintenance of the balance of arms and that the cease-fire would not be used to Israel’s disadvantage.”

According to Mr. Kol, “If America wishes to save the talks it set in motion it has to demonstrate to us, by actions and facts, that it seriously intends keeping the promises it has given and that It will honor its commitments In future both in respect to arms supplies and removal of the missiles.” According to Israeli intelligence reports, the Egyptians and their Soviet advisors utilized the hours of darkness after the cease-fire went into effect at midnight Aug. 7-8 to move SAM-2 and SAM-3 anti-aircraft missiles within 12 miles of the Suez Canal. Israel also claims that Egyptian troops have been digging new emplacements for missile installations in the cease-fire zone since the shooting stopped. Haim Zadok, chairman of the Knesset foreign affairs and defense committee hinted in a radio interview yesterday that Israel might dissociate itself from the new American peace Initiative if the Egyptians were left free to violate the cease-fire. Mr. Zadok’s committee met secretly Thursday to discuss the situation. Mordecai Gazit, assistant director general of the Foreign Ministry disclosed on the same radio interview that high government officials were considering a “slow down” in consultations with Dr. Jarring. These consultations reportedly concern the time, site and level of the pending talks.

EBAN: ISRAEL TO DEMAND RIGHT TO DEFENSIVE EQUIPMENT IF PRE-CEASE-FIRE STATUS QUO NOT RESTORED

Foreign Minister Abba Eban declared on television Thursday that if the pre-cease-fire status quo is not “restored” by the U.S. “Israel will demand its right to defensive equipment.” The U.S., he noted “obtained commitments from the Soviet Union and Egypt, and if it should reach the conclusion that there were a breach, it can have the status quo ante restored.” Mr. Eban Indicated that a delay in the American decision would delay Israel’s participation in the peace talks. “The government has not yet taken a position on that score,” he said. “It will depend on the U.S. reaction to the fate of the cease-fire.” Deputy Premier Yigal Allon said on a Friday night broadcast that he hoped Washington would not “sidestep” the Issue by claiming that the Soviet missiles had been moved prior to the cease-fire. “The whole world knows that we are blessed with a superior intelligence service which has never let us down,” Mr. Allon said. He warned that “If the Egyptians and the Soviets were to get the impression that the U.S. Is unaffected by such provocations…it would seriously undermine belief in America in this region.” According to unconfirmed reports, Israel detected the alleged movement of Soviet-made SAM missiles after the cease-fire by electronic means. These are said to have included monitored radio communications between trucks in a convoy carrying the missiles to their new sites and

(According to reports from Washington today the U.S. has evidence of a certain “reshuffling” of the missiles within the Suez Canal zone as the cease-fire deadline approached. But the U.S. has still not determined whether this movement continued after the cease-fire deadline as charged by Israel. Administration spokesmen have publicly taken the position that the U.S. wants still more time to assess its intelligence reports. Privately, American officials were reported to be furious with Israel for publicly airing its charges of cease-fire violation and thus taking much of the momentum out of the movement toward negotiations. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan confirmed the cease-fire violation reports in the Knesset Thursday and claimed that the obligation to rectify the situation rested squarely on the U.S. which engineered the cease-fire and got commitments from Moscow and Cairo to abide by its terms. American officials called Dayan’s charges “political with a capital ‘P’.” They also criticized his disclosure of the terms of the 90-day cease-fire agreement. Gen. Dayan read the text of the agreement to the Knesset, emphasizing what in Israel’s view is its key paragraph–that the cease-fire is to be a “standstill” with neither side allowed to improve its military position while it is in effect.)

U.S. OFFICIALS CONFIDENT CEASE-FIRE WILL NOT BREAK DOWN AND TALKS WILL COMMENCE SOON

(According to some U.S. officials, the furore raised by Israel was intended to pressure the U.S. to send it more Phantom Jets and electronic devices. Foreign Minister Eban’s assertion that Israel would “demand its right to defensive equipment” gave some credence to that assumption. Sources in Washington said that the Israelis are realistic enough to know that the U.S. probably cannot obtain removal of the missiles from the Suez Canal zone. But they insist that Washington react with more vigor than it has shown heretofore. Israel’s charge of cease-fire violation was reportedly “mentioned” to Egypt’s UN Ambassador last week but no formal representations have been made by the U.S. either to Cairo or Moscow. The American emphasis appears now to get the peace talks started. Over the weekend, U.S. officials were expressing confidence that the cease-fire would not break down and that the talks would commence soon, possibly in the coming week. In Washington, the Israeli Embassy Issued a “pink sheet” statement Friday noting that her government accepted the U.S., initiative because “Israel trusted the United States.” The policy paper continued: “The latest initiative of the United States carries grave risks for Israel, of a kind that bear on its most vital security interests. Nevertheless, Israel is ready to take those risks because the author of the initiative to which it has subscribed is the United States.”)

(Referring to conditions set down by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser in his acceptance of the initiative, the Israeli Embassy observed: “These are hardly encouraging beginnings. Nevertheless, Israel is still going ahead and will try to exhaust whatever slim hope there might be that the other side may yet be moved to show a measure of amicable intent and good will.” An Egyptian Foreign Minister spokesman said in Cairo this morning that Egypt would not answer Israel’s charges of cease-fire violation. According to diplomatic observers, this meant that Egypt shares the position of the United States and Soviet Russia that peace talks should be started as soon as possible and that differences arising from the cease-fire should be taken up at the peace talks. In Cairo on Friday, Al Ahram again condemned the Arab opponents of the U.S. initiative. The editor, Mohammed Hassanein Heykal, Minister of National Guidance, wrote: “The Iraq regime says that its army is ready. The Syrian newspapers say that their army is ready. The Algerian leadership says it can dispatch its whole army to the fighting in 24 hours. If they entered the battle at any time and ignored the cease-fire…Egypt certainly would not stand idly by. Those who don’t fight have no right to teach those who are truly fighting what modern war means.”)