Israel in Low Key Reaction to Sadat Threat U.S. Does Not Believe War Option Raised

A senior political source said today that Israel will not change its positions on a peace settlement in face of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s declaration yesterday that the military struggle would be renewed unless Israel responded satisfactorily to his peace initiative. The source said that Sadat’s remarks were an obstacle to progress in the peace process.

Sadat, addressing troops of the Egyptian Second Army at Ismailia, said they must be prepared “for the completion of the battle of liberation if there is no alternative and if Israel continues not to understand what is behind the peace initiative.” Sources here said Sadat’s declaration contradicted the second Sinai interim agreement of August, 1975 in which both parties agreed not to resort to farce.

(In Washington today, the State Department’s chief spokesman, Hodding Carter, said the U.S. does not believe Sadat “has raised the war option. We have no reason whatsoever to doubt that he continues to support the effort to reach a comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East,” he told reporters. Speaking on another matter, Carter confirmed that Secretary of State Cyrus Vance has recently assured Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kaamel that the U.S. position on Israel’s exploitation of natural resources in Sinai remains unchanged. He said that position is that “the development of and exploitation of new oil in the fields in the occupied territories is unprecedented and goes beyond the legal authority of a belligerent occupant” under international law.)

LABORITES DISTURBED

While the reaction by official sources was kept in a low key, Shimon Peres, leader of the opposition Labor Alignment, accused Sadat of aggravating the present delicate situation. He stressed, however, that the door to negotiations was not closed, yet. Former Foreign Minister Yigal Allon said he was disturbed by other recent statements by Sadat in which he mentioned the war option. “It seems to me that President Sadat is trying to achieve a settlement on his own terms, not necessarily by negotiations but rather by dictating them directly or through the U.S.,” he said. He observed that “Even moderates in this country are not ready to be dictated to” and hoped that Sadat has not spoken his last word.

On the other hand, Allon said the government should formulate constructive replies to the American questions on the future of the West Bank and political self-expression for the Palestinians in order to “pave the way for the resumption of talks or, at least, relieve Israel of the responsibility for freezing them.” The Cabinet is considering the American questions and is expected to formulate replies at its next meeting June 12.