A three-member delegation from the Soviet Union–one Jew among them–told Israelis today that the USSR is convinced that Israeli-Arab co-existence is possible and is working toward that end. They also suggested that Israelis are needlessly fearful and pessimistic over chances of a settlement with their neighbors. They found fault, not with the principles of democracy in Israel but with the political compatibleness they claimed hampered the decision-making process.
The delegation came to Israel at the invitation of the pro-Moscow Rakah Communist Party to attend the annual memorial in the Red Army Forest near Jerusalem marking the Allied victory over Nazi Germany. Members of the group are Vikenti Alexandrowitch Metveyev, a political analyst of the Soviet government newspaper Izvestia; Prof. Roman Akhramowitch, Rector of Moscow University’s Asia-African Institute; and Dr. Paulina Gelman, who is Jewish.
The visitors contended that a renewal of formal diplomatic relations between Israel and the Soviet Union was unwarranted unless significant progress toward peace is made. A renewal of relations now would not change anything but would undermine Soviet credibility with some of the Arabs and this might harm efforts to find a solution of the Middle East conflict, they said.
UNDUE FEAR OF ARABS NOTED
They expressed the view that the Israelis are unduly fearful of the Arabs because they have been influenced by a daily diet of war stories that has caused profound pessimism. Metveyev observed that “You see yourself surrounded by enemies, but it is not so. We spoke with many Arabs but not once did I hear an anti-Jewish utterance.”
The Izvestia writer claimed that the Palestinians are not the extremists Israelis think they are, “Sooner or later you will have to negotiate with the Palestinians and (PLO chieftain Yasir) Arafat is surely not the most extreme of them,” he said.
He also said he was deeply struck by the complexity of domestic politics in Israel and the prevailing atmosphere of pessimism. He and his colleagues contended that the source of many of Israel’s troubles stemmed from an excess of democratization. It may not be democracy itself, Metveyev said, but the competitive character of Israel’s political life. An Israeli political leader thinks more how he is going to win support rather than how to tackle issues, he said.
The delegation said they had met with some Russian immigrants who wanted to return to the USSR “but we cannot help them,” they said. The group leaves Israel tomorrow.
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