David Rivlin, the Consul General of Israel, warned here that the expected disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights will represent only the beginning of “long, delicate negotiations” for a final Middle East peace settlement that will be undertaken in Geneva. He urged patience by all parties concerned.
Rivlin was the principal speaker at the closing session of the Jewish National Fund’s National Assembly at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel over the weekend, He said the peace-making process was greatly enhanced and inspired by the efforts of U.S. Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger. But the tasks ahead are formidable, including not only a final settlement with Egypt and Syria but a solution of the complex issues involved in the Jordanian and Palestinian aspects of the problems and the future of the West Bank which are at the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Rivlin said.
He observed that the Palestinians will have to decide whether they opt-for peace within the framework of an Israeli-Jordanian settlement “or whether they give in to the terrorist groups who are pledged to continue their acts of indiscriminate murders and to hinder the chances for any settlement between Israel and the Arab world.”
ROLE OF SOVIET UNION ASSESSED
The Israeli diplomat stressed that his country’s from position was to combat Arab terrorism and to punish the murderers of innocent civilians for their crimes. He ex pressed hope that enlightened world opinion and the nations of the world will finally recognize the dangers posed by Arab terrorism and their soft treatment and toleration of terrorists.
Rivlin said that while a climate of tranquility may be created by an Israeli-Syrian disengagement accord, overall peace prospects in the Middle East “to a large extent depend on the good faith of the Soviet Union as well as the continued, untiring constructive efforts of the United States for the benefit of all the nations of the region.” He said the Soviet Union as well as the U.S. must recognize its responsibility toward peace and construction rather than war and destruction in the Mideast.
Abram Salomon, executive vice-president of the JNF of America, told the closing session that in the last three years his organization has almost doubled its intake from traditional and foundation activities. He said that the income in the last fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1973 stemmed from 480 localities across the nation.
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