Reagan Reiterates That Israel’s Settlement Policy on West Bank is Not Helpful to the Peace Process

President Reagan reiterated his position last night that Israel’s settlement policy on the West Bank is not “helpful” to the peace process since a peace agreement will require Israel giving up some of the territory it now holds.

“Obviously, the peace process, when negotiations come between the Arab states and Israel, is going to have to involve territorial changes in return for secure peaceful borders,” Reagan said in response to a question at a nationally-televised press conference from the East Room of the White House.

He stressed that “from the very beginning” his Administration made it clear that the settlement policy was not “helpful” to the overall peace process, although it never called it illegal as did the Carter Administration. He repeated that any forthcoming negotiations must be based on the Camp David “process” and United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338.

CITES NEW REASON FOR SENDING MARINES INTO LEBANON

On Lebanon, Reagan for the first time said one reason the U.S. marines had gone into Lebanon was because “we wanted to prevent a war between Syria and Israel.” He said there had been five wars between Israrel and Syria. Actually there had been three: the 1948 War of Independence, the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The 1956 Sinai campaign and the war of attrition in the 1970’s were between Israel and Egypt.

Up to last night, Reagan had stressed that the marines were in Lebanon as a “stabilizing force” to allow the government of Lebanon to regain sovereignty over its country as the Israeli and Syrian armies withdrew.

He repeated this last night and said “progress” was being made and this is why terrorists began hitting at the marines and the other members of the multinational force. He charged that the terrorist attacks were made “on the part of those who don’t want a peaceful settlement.”

DIPLOMATIC EFFORT TO CONTINUE

Reagan said that because the MNF had become a target of terrorists they had been “redeployed” to the ships off shore. But he stressed that the U.S. ships would remain there and that his special envoy, Donald Rumsfeld, would continue his diplomatic effort in Lebanon, Syria and Israel.

“As long as there is a chance for a peaceful solution we’re going to try to see if there is any contribution we can make to achieve that,” the President declared. “We’re not bugging out, just going to a more defensible position.”

Reagan rejected the criticism being made in some quarters that it was the policies of Secretary of State George Shultz that “failed” in Lebanon. “I think that he has done a splendid job and I have every confidence in the world in him,” Reagan said, adding he hopes Shultz stays on as Secretary. He said “the idea for the mission happened to be mine.”