Israeli sources said today that President Anwar Sadat’s warlike statements in an interview published in Newsweek magazine reflected a “hardening” of the Egyptian leader’s position toward Israel were aimed primarily at American officials and Egyptian public opinion. The sources said Sadat’s warning that Israeli troops would never be permitted to remain at Sharm el-Sheikh after a peace settlement was an example of a tough stand intended to convince U.S. officials that the Middle East was a greater danger spot than they had assumed.
They said that Sadat’s remark about preparing Egypt for war with Israel was designed to create the same impression. But Israeli observers generally dismissed the threat of overt Egyptian military action at this time. They noted that no unusual activity has been observed along the Egyptian side of the Suez Canal where Egyptian soldiers are engaged in routine activities.
The most interesting aspect of the Sadat interview, according to Israelis, was his admission to Newsweek senior editor Arnaud de Borchgrave that the Washington visit last month of his personal envoy, Hafez Ismail, was a failure. Israeli sources said Sadat’s threats of military action were empty because he knows that any military adventures by Egypt are doomed to defeat. Israel’s Chief of Staff, Gen. David Elazar, has stated recently that Israel would react with utmost severity to any Egyptian military action even if it is regarded as “limited.”
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