Release of Chronology of Messages Seen As Pressure on Israel

The State Department disclosure yesterday of the chronology of messages President Carter sent to Premier Menachem Begin on the issue of Israeli settlements was seen here today by informed Capitol Hill sources as part of a calculated operation by the Carter Administration in support of its own effort to weaken Israel’s position in its negotiations with Egypt. The chronology was released by State Department spokesman Hodding Carter on instructions from the White House.

That development came as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat met in closed session for almost two hours with members of the House International Relations Committee and, separately, with key Senators, to press his requests for U.S. military equipment, including jet fighters and to stress Egypt’s position on a Middle East peace settlement.

White House Press Secretary Jody Powell told reporters yesterday that “It is incorrect to say that the United States did not react strongly and immediately” to Israel’s settlement moves.

SPECIFICS OF THE MESSAGES

The published chronology noted that: “On Jan. 5, 1978 Prime Minister Begin and Foreign Minister (Moshe) Dayan informed the U.S. of Israeli settlement plans in the Sinai and on the West Bank. On Jan. 6, the Administration sent a strong reply to Prime Minister Begin’s and Dayan’s Jan. 5 information. The reply expressed our concem about new settlement reports, particularly those of the Sinai. This reply was in the form of a personal message from the President dispatched from Air Force One” while Carter was en route to Europe.

The chronology continued: “On Jan. 9, Prime Minister Begin informed the President of his government’s decisions concerning Israeli settlement activities in the Sinai and the authorization for new settlements in military sites in the West Bank. On Jan. 10, the President sent a letter to Prime Minister Begin responding to his letter of the 9th, restating our concern about the settlements and the effect they would have on the peace process. On Jan. 23, a number of Gush Emunim settlers declared that a permanent civilian settlement would be erected at Shiloh. On Jan. 27, the President sent a short message to Prime Minister Begin regarding the Shiloh settlement and restating the U.S. position.”

The State Department said today it excluded Israel’s response on the Shiloh project in its chronology because Carter had indicated he had received assurances from Jerusalem that Shiloh was not a civilian settlement.

The release of the chronology “is only the beginning of more clobbering of Israel,” a well-placed source said today. Other sources saw the release of the chronology as vindication of Carter’s opposition to Israel’s establishment of settlements in areas taken over in the 1967 war.

Powell’s assertion today that “the timing was not of our choosing” in issuing the chronology was regarded as a reference to a newspaper commentator’s view (columnist Joseph Kraft) that the U.S. had not seriously objected to Israel about the settlements. According to the informed observers, the commentator’s assessment was a pretext for Carter to warn the Begin government that the chronology is merely a message of how the U.S. is prepared to get tough with Israel.

CONGRESSMEN IMPRESSED BY SADAT

Meanwhile, Sadat told reporters after his meeting yesterday with the House International Relations Committee that he gave the legislators a full report on Middle East developments and made it clear that his request for arms would go beyond the F-5E aircraft, a jet fighter manufactured for export, which he described as a tenth-rate plane.

He said that the last time he met members of Congress on his visit here in April he had been shy about asking for arms. “I am not shy any more,” he told reporters. Until now, U.S. military supplies to Egypt have been limited to “non-lethal” weapons such as the C-130 cargo planes.

Sadat apparently made a favorable impression on members of Congress. Sen. Henry M. Jackson (D. Wash.), a strong supporter of Israel, described the Egyptian leader as “a very articulate spokesman” who “explained his position very well.” He said that Sadat “made a very good case for arms, going beyond his own country into the situation in Africa.”

Jackson and other Senators who met with Sadat said he pledged that any U.S. arms received by Egypt would not be used against Israel but to protect Egypt from threats from its Soviet influenced neighbors, Libya and Ethiopia.

During his meeting with members of the House committee, Democratic leader Jim Wright of Texas told Sadat: “You have begun a long, difficult and tedious process which, God willing, may lead to peace. . . .We honor you for what you are–a man of peace.” Committee chairman Clement Zablocki (D. Wis.) praised Sadat’s wisdom and foresight and said he had won the hearts of the American people.

House Speaker Thomas O’Neill (D. Mass.) told reporters that Sadat made “a real appeal for arms.” Rep. Stephen Solarz (D. NY), a strong supporter of Israel, said Sadat stated he wanted arms, not to attack Israel but because Egypt is surrounded by unfriendly countries. The Egyptian leader expressed particular concern about Soviet influence in Libya and Ethiopia, which he believed was trying to swallow up Somalia.

Solarz said Congressional reaction to an Egyptian request for arms would depend on its assessment of the chances for peace in the Mideast. The request might generate opposition in Congress because of fears that the arms may be used against Israel in a new war. Under the law, Congress can veto any foreign arms sale valued at more than $25 million.