When a cease-fire goes into effect in the Suez Canal zone, Israel prefers that only a very narrow strip of territory on either side of the waterway be brought under surveillance for possible violations, it was learned here today. Israel’s preference stems from an unwillingness to allow foreigners, even neutral observers, to examine its in-depth defenses along the canal’s east bank even though the same will apply to the Egyptian side under Secretary of State William P. Rogers proposed 90-day cease-fire. In consultations with the United States on ways and means to supervise the cease-fire, a 28-mile wide zone along both banks of the canal was proposed, sources here said. But in subsequent internal discussions, Israeli leaders intimated that they would object to a surveillance zone broader than a few dozen yards from the canal’s shores. Israel is said to believe that it can survey a portion of the Egyptian side of the canal by aerial photography without violating Egyptian air space. This would leave a large section of the Egyptian zone without scrutiny but Israel is said to prefer it that way despite the military disadvantage.
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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.
