An Israeli official said today that the price of peace with Egypt equals the entire cost of the Yom Kippur War or the equivalent of a year’s gross national product.
Ezra Sadan, Director General of the Finance Ministry, estimated that the withdrawal from Sinai would cost Israel about $25 billion, exclusive of the cost of compensation to Jewish settlers and the cost of relocating them. He was addressing a seminar for foreign correspondents organized by the Foreign Ministry, the military and the Government Press Office. The subject was “the price of peace.”
Speaking for the army, Brig. Gen. Yaacov Even said $17 billion was invested in Sinai for military purposes alone since it was occupied by Israel in June, 1967 and that figure does not include money spent on settlements and other civilian installations there.
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