The present dispute within the Arab world between states favoring the Sinai interim accord and hard-liners who are opposed to it may be “one of the most important achievements of the interim agreement.” Premier Yitzhak Rabin told reporters here today. Rabin, speaking at a Foreign Press Association luncheon at the Jerusalem Hilton Hotel, said the agreement had brought the Arab world “to argue, to struggle…about Israel….”
One camp, led by Egypt, saw Israel as a fact of Mideast life, a fact which was there to stay and must be negotiated with. The other camp, Rabin continued, including the PLO, Iraq, Libya “and maybe Syria,” still saw force of arms as the main means for the Arabs to attain the goal of eliminating Israel. The struggle currently in progress might be the start of the long process of change, in actions and attitudes which, according to the basic Israeli concept, would hopefully move the region through interim accords and towards peace, the Premier said.
WATCHING SITUATION IN LEBANON
Regarding the situation in Lebanon, Rabin said “Israel is watching the Lebanon situation, watching it very carefully.” Israel does not have to take at present any decisions concerning that situation, the Premier added, in response to a question from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
The Christian-Moslem status quo in Lebanon was “under real threat.” the Premier went on, “I hope it will survive,” he said somberly. It seems, though, that the Lebanese Christians might face the same fate as the Kurds–proving once more, according to Rabin, that Arab-Moslem majorities do not allow any other minority group to live within their midst” unless totally dominated by the Arab Moslems.”
There was a lesson to be learned from the Lebanon situation regarding the PLO’s purported desire for a “secular democratic state” in Palestine, Rabin said, Israel’s interest in Lebanon was diverse, he continued, “We must remember only Lebanon of all Israel’s neighbors allows itself to be used as a base for terrorist attacks.”
NO URGENCY IN VISIT TO WASHINGTON
Rabin said he was in “no hurry” to precede Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to Washington. There was no urgency in his own visit there, he observed, since the Ford Administration’s “reassessment” had now ended and advanced weapons such as the F-15 and the “Lance” and laser guided missiles were now available to Israel.
The major immediate issue, he explained, was how the Sinai agreement would be finally concluded at the Geneva talks; how it would be implemented; and how it would affect the realities of the Arab world. Rabin said he fell he ought to be on hand in Jerusalem to monitor the Geneva talks, he said. It was therefore premature to discuss what the next step would be.
The UNDOF mandate renewal date of Nov. 30 should be as great a worry for Syria as for Israel Rabin said. Both sides had an interest in maintaining the disengagement accord. Once the Sinai accord was finally signed and implemented, and its effect on Israel-Egypt relations and on relations within the Arab world gauged, the options then facing Israel would be considered. One such option that Rabin mentioned was reconvening the Geneva conference “before the end of the year.” There would be other options, too, he said, without elaborating.
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