Differences emerged today between Premier Shimon Peres, who told the weekly Cabinet meeting there were signs Moscow would agree to allow Jewish emigration to Israel after this week’s summit meeting in Geneva, and Soviet aliya activists, who charged that Peres’ remarks only served Soviet interests.
Both Peres and Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir called on Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to open the gates to Jewish emigration. Peres said the Soviets may do so after the summit in the framework of a family reunion plan. He said Israel would continue to use both diplomacy and struggle to ensure freedom for Soviet Jewry.
The Public Council for Soviet Jewry held a mass rally in Tel Aviv today urging President Reagan to raise the issue of Soviet Jewry at his meeting with Gorbachev. The demonstrators, mostly students, held up placards with the names of Jewish activists imprisoned in the USSR.
Likud MK Ronni Milo who is Deputy Foreign Minister said he hoped the Soviet authorities would allow emigration as a result of the summit. Absorption Minister Yaacov Tsur, a Laborite, said now is the time for an intensive worldwide public campaign on behalf of Soviet Jews.
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