Us Said to Offer Israel Planes if Israel Eases Interim Accord Terms

Premier Golda Meir was expected to brief the Cabinet today on reports of renewed pressure from the United States to bring about an interim settlement between Israel and Egypt to reopen the Suez Canal. Mrs. Meir is acting Foreign Minister in the absence of Abba Eban who is attending the United Nations General Assembly sessions in New York this week. According to unconfirmed reports, Israel has received an “unofficial” offer from the US to resume the supply of war planes if Israel eased its conditions for an interim settlement. The reports said the offer was made by a senior American official and hinged on Israel’s agreement to permit a token number of Egyptian troops to cross the canal after Israeli forces withdrew from its east bank. Israel was asked to pull back a greater distance than it was prepared to do, according to the reports.

(In Washington, a State Department officer described the report as “a crazy story,” and flatly denied that any pressure was being placed on Israel. The Israeli Embassy declined to comment on the report. A diplomatic observer here, however, noted: “There was a time when Israel could buy planes. Now Israel can’t seem to get a response for its offers. Perhaps there is a link between concessions and planes.”)

IMPLICATIONS MORE SERIOUS THAN CONTENT

The reports are believed to refer to US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Joseph J. Sisco who visited Israel at the end of July and more recently had meetings in Washington with the Israeli Ambassador Yitzhak Rabin. Sisco was reported to have suggested a 25-mile pullback by Israeli forces. But the implications of the American offer are more disturbing to Israelis than their content. Observers here have pointed out that the US promised to supply Israel with more Phantom and Skyhawk jets without strings in order to maintain the military balance in the Middle East. Now the Americans seem to be asking for something more than money is exchange for the planes. Political circles ask: if Washington’s promise, given unconditionally, can suddenly be burdened with conditions, how far can Israel trust the American administration’s undertakings in other matters?

The growing feeling here is that such behavior must seriously affect the credibility of American guarantees underwriting a future settlement. But it would be counter-productive for Washington inasmuch as it can only result in a stiffening of Israel’s attitude, the circles say. The concensus here is that the US will continue to press Israel to accept its conditions for an interim settlement with Egypt. The Cabinet is also expected to hear from Defense Minister Moshe Dayan and Chief of Staff Gen. Haim Bar Lev on the Suez clash last week-end and measures being taken to prevent recurrences. In a taped interview over the armed forces radio station last night, Rabin said that despite the clash which followed the downing of an Israeli transport plane by Egyptian missiles last week, the past year was the most quiet on the military front since the Six-Day War. But according to Rabin, the year ahead will be decisive. He said the Americans were satisfied that there was no fighting last year and “rightly or wrongly they claim the credit.”