Time magazine claimed in its current issue that a formal meeting will take place soon between Israel and Soviet Russia with a view to re-establishing diplomatic relations broken by Moscow during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Soviet sources at the United Nations said Friday that it was “unthinkable” that the Soviet Union would consider renewing diplomatic relations with Israel before Israel withdrew completely from the occupied Arab territories. Time magazine claimed nevertheless that “The Soviet overtures toward Israel appear to be part of a pattern. Stung that the U.S. has maneuvered itself into the position of the indispensable middleman in the Middle East peace negotiations, Moscow is anxious to demonstrate that without its participation and blessing, any moves toward an Arab-Israeli settlement are futile.” According to Time, “U.S. officials agree that without the Soviets, further peace talks are pointless” and that “at a suitable time Washington intends to invite the Soviets into discussions on reopening the Suez Canal.”
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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.