Former Premier Yitzhak Rabin last night called the Carter Administration’s statement Monday on the Middle East rude and said that never before had such a statement been issued prior to a visit of an Israeli Premier to Washington.
Interviewed on Israeli Television, Rabin said that the American attitude on the Middle East had eroded since his visit to Washington in March although he did not know whether this was a tactical move on the part of the Carter Administration or a real change in policy. He said this will be better known after Premier Menachem Begin visits Washington July 19-20.
Rabin said that Israeli-American relations were not a partisan issue. He said he had worked many years to foster these relations which were important to Israel’s aims for living in peace with defensible borders and would do nothing to harm them by partisan considerations.
The former Premier said he considers the statement issued this week totally divergent from what he was told by Carter at the White House in March and what the President repeated at a press conference at the time. He said Carter at that time talked of a full peace and now the statement talks of normalization of relations. He also said the President was opposed to any negotiations with the Palestine terrorist organization and to the creation of a Palestinian state between Israel and Jordan.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
