David M. Blumberg, president of B’nai B’rith, called the new Israeli-Egyptian Sinai accord “the most hopeful Middle East development in 27 years” because “for the first time, Arabs and Israelis have agreed not just to stop fighting and separate their armies, but to reduce the danger of another war.”
In a speech here last night, Blumberg recited the benefits of the Sinai agreement which has been criticized in some American-Jewish circles and by some elements in Israel. He observed that Secretary of State Henry A, Kissinger’s diplomatic efforts to achieve the agreement “has meant a serious diplomatic reversal” for the Soviet Union “after having spent $25 billion in all-out support for the Arabs.” The B’nai B’rith leader addressed the opening of a seven-part forum series co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Center and the Maryland Association of B’nai B’rith Lodges.
Blumberg rejected allegations that the United States had “pressured” Israel into agreeing to the accord. “The line between persuasion and pressure is a shadowy one,” he said, and “the United States, having been invited by Israel to serve as mediator, could not be expected to ignore its own global interests.”
U.S. INTERESTS SERVED BY PACT
Among the American interests served by the pact was increased American prestige, the diminished danger of Soviet domination in the Middle East and the assurance of continued oil supplies from the Middle East for America’s European and Japanese allies, Blumberg said. He noted that “Kremlin influence in Egypt has crumbled and President Sadat has evidently placed greater trust in the United States.”
Blumberg also rejected contentions that the U.S. presence in Sinai paralleled the situation in Vietnam a decade ago, Vietnam was a first step toward conflict but the American presence in Sinai is a move away from conflict, he said. He said the “ultimate importance” of the Sinai agreement “will be determined by the momentum it generates” to encourage political concessions by the Arabs to be met by further territorial withdrawals by Israel.
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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.
