Government sources told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the newly-revived Soviet Mideast peace plan contained “nothing new” and was unacceptable in any case because it called for total Israeli evacuation of the occupied areas back to the pre-Six-Day War lines. A formal reply awaits completion by the Foreign Ministry of the full text of the Soviet statement, which was published Thursday by Pravda, the Soviet Communist party organ. The sources noted that Israel has to date deliberately avoided specifying minimum borders for any settlement but has explicitly stated that the permanent boundaries could not be identical with the armistice lines. The sources also entered a demurrer to the Soviet proposal’s thesis that in today’s advanced military technology, the security of a border rested not in its military defensibility but in its recognition by all concerned parties. If that is so, the sources said, “what are the Soviet rockets for in the Suez Canal zone.” and on what basis do the Soviets expect Arab terrorist groups to recognize such agreed-on borders when they do not recognize even the authority and borders of the Arab states.
They also told the JTA that “at present we can keep the penetration of terrorists under control because we have topographically favorable frontiers” but “if we were to withdraw to our pre-Six-Day War lines, it would mean giving the terrorists an ideal jumping off board into the heart of Israel.” The Soviet proposal to place any newly-delineated borders under the protection of the Big Four or of the United Nations Security Council evoked a wry smile. The sources recalled “the helplessness of the Great Powers in the first days of June, 1967 when we were threatened with destruction. Who came to our aid? The Security Council intervened only after we had won,” they added. The sources agreed to the hope expressed in the Soviet proposal for a “just and lasting peace” and the recognition of each Middle Eastern state to a secure national existence. They suggested that this could be best achieved by means of the UN talks under Dr. Gunnar Jarring, the Mideast peace emissary. They reiterated Israel’s readiness to return to the Jarring talks as soon as the SAM missiles are removed.
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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.
