Premier Golda Meir appealed to Israel’s enemies in humanitarian terms today to choose the paths of peace instead of war. Addressing bereaved families at memorial services for the nation’s war dead at Kiryat Anavim, Mrs. Meir said, “Even near these graves we call upon all our neighbors from the north, from the east, from the south, and say to them: Your sons too are falling. Perhaps the time really has come for you to listen to our appeal for peace.”
But Mrs. Meir added “Israel’s enemies must know that in spite of the pain, in spite of the difficulty, every now and again to send our sons to defend the country, the spirit of the people has not broken, for we do not have an alternative.”
The Premier warned the Arab countries not to confuse signs of sadness in Israel with weakness. She said she did not believe that the people of the Arab countries “will continue to see it as their goal in life to send-murderers to slaughter our children.” She was referring to the most recent terrorist outrage, the massacre of 18 persons in Kiryat Shemona on April 11.
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