U.S. Warns Israel on Golan

Official circles here are upset over a leaked report that the U.S. has cautioned Israel against any move to annex the Golan Heights. According to the report, U.S. Ambassador Samuel Lewis told Premier Menachen Begin of a meeting yesterday that a bill recently presented in the Knesset that would impose Israeli law — and thus its sovereignty — over the Golan Heights would, if passed, be “more serious” than the “Jerusalem Law.”

This would be the case because annexation of the Golan would constitute a violation of Security Council Resolution 242 while the law declaring Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem simply affirmed a situation that has existed since 1967, Lewis reportedly told Begin. But sources here called the report “unauthorized and inaccurate.”

Israeli officials said Lewis requested a meeting with Begin several days ago to discuss a number of issues before the American envoy leaves on a vocation in Egypt. One official said the extensive coverage of the meeting by the local media inflated it out of proportion. Nothing new was said at the meeting, he noted. The American position has been known for several months, the official said.

Without suggesting the source of the leak, officials insisted it did not come from the Israeli side. They also denied a report that Begin promised Lewis that he would act to persuade Knesset members not to support the Golan bill.

The measure was introduced by Geula Cohen of the ultra-nationalist Tehiya faction. The leadership of the coalition Knesset faction passed it on yesterday for review by the Cabinet, dashing the hopes of its supporters for speedy processing. The Cabinet is not expected to discuss the measure at its regular meeting this Sunday which will be devoted to President Yitzhak Navon’s forthcoming state visit to Egypt.