Rabin Tells Uja, CJF Leaders That Israel Can Rely on U.S. for Arms

Premier Yitzhak Rabin said last night that he was returning home to Israel with the feeling “that we can continue to rely on this country to support us in terms of supplying arms to Israel…to make Israel strong in case of war.” Rabin, ending a four day visit to Washington addressed 750 American Jewish leaders at a dinner sponsored jointly by the United Jewish Appeal and the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds (CJF) at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

Also this weekend, the Premier, speaking “off the record” to leaders of the Israel Bond Organization of the United States and Canada here, stressed that immediate military and economic aid from the U.S. was indispensable to Israel’s security and to the success of effective negotiations for a peace settlement in the Middle East.

Rabin told the UJA-CJF leaders that the quarrel in the Middle East was not “about that piece of territory or this piece of territory” but over the Arabs’ refusal to reconcile themselves to an independent Jewish State. “As long as they do not cross the line of reconciliation with Israel as a Jewish, independent state, I doubt if the road towards peace will be cleared,” Rabin said.

He said Israel was concerned with the substance of peace more than with how it is achieved. “We don’t stress direct negotiations; we stress the content, the meaning of peace,” Rabin said. He said that his country will continue to pursue a policy of seeking every avenue that could lead to peace.

NEEDS PARTNERSHIP OF JEWISH PEOPLE

In this respect, he emphasized that Israel needs the partnership of the Jewish people, “particularly the unity of the Jewish communities of the United States and Canada,” he said. He added, “We have learned that if we can trust anybody in this world it

Rabin said that Israel has proven that it is capable of defending itself. It has never asked for foreign soldiers to fight for it. All Israel needs is the means to defend itself. Rabin said. He said he left Washington with the feeling that the American government realizes that a militarily and economically strong Israel is the best guarantee for achieving peace in the Middle East

But Rabin said, Israel has to do its best to bear the heavy burden of its defense expenditures while building “an economic and social structure that will allow us to be more independent, more a Jewish State.” He said the challenges of the coming year may be “much more difficult than we have experienced in the last years.” He emphasized that only Jewish unity “can really overcome it.” He said Israel was hoping that the gates will be opened to Russian and Syrian Jews and “Israel is ready to accept them.”

INCREASED RESOURCES ARE IMPERATIVE

Rabin emphasized to the Bond leaders that Israel needs increased resources to enable it to solve its economic crisis which has overburdened its citizens with record high taxes, compulsory defense loans and other measures to fight an extraordinary rate of inflation. He said Israel’s economy must be expanded to provide jobs for the hoped for influx of immigrants from the Soviet Union.

“This will be a critical year in the life of the Jewish people,” he said. “It will be a year in which the unity of the Jewish people will be more essential than in the past because Israel will have to cope with more difficult problems in the economic field, an increased volume of immigration and serious problems of defense.” In that connection, Rabin continued, “the ways to show unity are many. One of the most important is through Israel Bonds. What is the meaning of bonds? It is the strengthening of unity through deeds.” the Premier said.

CONCESSIONS WHEN THE TIME COMES

Premier and Mrs. Rabin met with some 170 Jewish leaders and guests Friday at a reception at the New York apartment of Yosef Tekoah, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations. Appearing relaxed and smiling, Rabin expressed satisfaction with the results of his talks in Washington. He said he had found an “open ear” for Israel’s economic and military requests. Replying to questions, he said that when the time comes, Israel will make territorial concessions, but only in exchange for political concessions from the Arabs. Among those present at the reception were Ambassador Simcha Dinitz and Mrs. Dinitz; Michael Arnon, chief executive officer of the Israel Bond Organization; and members of the Israeli press corps in New York and Washington.