“Prime Minister Levi Eshkol was quoted today as declaring that Israel was willing to negotiate with the Arabs over most of the areas occupied in the Six-Day War but he made it clear that Israel would never give up Jerusalem and would insist on continued control of the Golan Heights. He described the Israeli position on the future of the occupied territories as “flexible” but avowed that “there will be no return to the situation preceding the June (1967) war.” Mr. Eshkol’s statements were made to News week magazine which said that the Israeli leader rejected proposals made by President Nasser of Egypt last week. Mr. Eshkol told the magazine, “I am ready to meet him (Nasser) anywhere, anytime, and I won’t quarrel about procedure, agenda or the shape of the table.”
Defense Minister Moshe Dayan yesterday told Labor Party members, “I don’t think there will be war this summer, and if we are strong, not even next summer. War will break out when and if the Arabs are sure they are stronger than Israel.” He advocated continuation of an “open gates” policy which enables Arabs in occupied territory to maintain contact with Arabs in neighboring countries.
The four-member Free Center faction in the Knesset (Parliament) to submit a motion for a no confidence vote today following a Kol Israel broadcast of Mr. Eshkol’s News week interview. The motion will be debated tomorrow. According to the radio broadcast, Mr. Eshkol told the magazine that Israel was not interested in keeping West Bank population centers such as Nablus or Jenin. Minister Without Portfolio Menachem Beigin of the Herut Party also questioned the alleged statement. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s office said the passage had not been included in a text submitted for Mr. Eshkol’s approval by reporters who interviewed him. The Prime Minister was not able to reply because of illness. It was not clear if he had made the statement attributed to him. The Gahal faction in the Knesset (an alignment of the Herut and Liberal parties) may leave the Cabinet over the purported statement, a reliable Knesset source told JTA.
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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.
