Vance: U.S. Views Settlements’ Decisionas ‘very Serious Matter’

Secretary of State Cyrus Vance declared today that the Israeli Cabinet’s decision to enlarge some settlements on the West Bank was “a very serious matter” and that the U.S. is “deeply disturbed by it.”

Vance’s statement appeared to be in direct contradiction to President Carter’s statement that he had agreed at Camp David to the “expansions” of existing settlements and that he considered it a “good trade-off” while “the status of future settlements would be decided during the negotiations.”

“To me it was a very clear understanding,” Carter told a selected group of reporters at a White House breakfast meeting on Sept. 28, II days after the signing of the Camp David accords. A transcript of that meeting was made available today to reporters by the State Department.

TRYING TO PLEASE ARAB SENTIMENT

The statement that was read on behalf of Vance said: “We regard the reported decision taken by the Israeli Cabinet to ‘thicken’ some of the settlements on the West Bank as a very serious matter and are deeply disturbed by it. We have already communicated with Prime Minister Menachem Begin and we will refrain from any further comment until we receive his response.”

Since the Vance statement pointed out clearly that the reference was to “thicken” –meaning expansion–of existing settlements, the Carter Administration’s rebuke to Israel appeared to be an effort to please the sentiment of Arabs apposed to the Camp David accord even though it apparently contradicted the President’s own agreement with Begin and Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan at Camp David.

Furthermore, the fact that the State Department today steadfastly refused to discuss the circumstance, indicated that the Carter Administration was seeking a propaganda advantage on the settlement issue which has yet to be resolved between Israel and the U.S. The exchange of letters on the subject between Carter and Begin that were supposed to clarify the positions of both sides have never materialized.

Carter maintained that Israel agreed to freeze new settlements on the West Bank during the five year transition period of autonomy provided in the Camp David framework. Begin insisted that he had never agreed to such terms but was agreeable to freeze new settlements for the three-month period of negotiations with Egypt.

The State Department’s chief spokesman, Hodding Carter, said today that Vance learned of the Israeli Cabinet’s decision at 5:32 p.m. local time yesterday. His statement was given to the press at 10 a.m. today. The importance of the timing is that the U.S. issued its rebuke before it had received on official communication from the Israel government on the Cabinet’s decision. Hodding Carter said that the President had “communicated with Begin through normal diplomatic channels in the last 12 hours” but he would not discuss the “conversation” between the two.

Asked if Begin officially informed Carter of the Cabinet’s decision, Hodding Carter replied, “I’m not sure.” When it was pointed out that Vance’s statement referred to a “reported decision,” the spokesman replied that “the reported decision was verifiable.”

When a reporter suggested that the reports might not have been accurate but the public reaction to them would make it more difficult to resolve the issue, Carter responded that “our hope always is to resolve issues quietly.” Later he said the reports were verifiable “on the basis of what we understood has been said” and that “it was not treated lightly.”

‘IT WAS A GOOD TRADE-OFF’

According to the transcript of the Sept. 28 breakfast meeting, Carter explained in some detail why the U.S. did not press Begin for a freeze on expansion of existing settlements. The transcript quoted the President as follows:

“We dropped the part on expansion because Prime Minister Begin and Foreign Minister Dayan described to me the problems where they had existing tiny settlements that were being built and a father and mother — the example they used–would go there and build one room in a kind of pioneer environment, leave their children with their grandparents in Jerusalem and even commute at night. And their plans were to build two extra bedrooms in a tiny house and bring the children later on. If we put on absolute freeze on all expansion, it would mean the families could not be reunited.

“They also pointed out, interestingly enough that the total population in all the West Bank settlements — about 50 settlements — was between 25,000-30,000 people. So you have approximately 500 people per settlement, a very small total population…. I thought it was a good trade – off that in dropping the expansion language, that the status of future settlements would be decided during the negotiations and to me it was a very clear understanding.”