Israel Reported Willing to Establish Diplomatic Relations with Bonn

The Israel Government has indicated to the West German Government that Israel would not be opposed to the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two states, the Frankfurter Rundschau reported today. The leading German newspaper states that the communication, from the Israeli Foreign Ministry, was received three months ago but has still not been answered by the Bonn Government.

This report, featured on the Frankfurter Rundschau’s front page, is considered here an explanation of a remark by Chancellor Konrad Adenauer in New York several weeks ago that negotiations were under way for the establishment of diplomatic relations be tween the Federal Republic and Israel.

Buttressing its report, Rundschau refers to a recent statement by Social Democratic deputy Ludwig Metzger upon his return from a trip to the Jewish State that a leading Israeli official had told him that Israel would welcome diplomatic relations with West Germany but that the initiative would have to come from Bonn.

The influential right-of-center “Westdeutsche Rundschau”–a daily in the Ruhr city of Wuppertal–admonishes Bonn in a lead editorial that the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel would result in “serious damage” to issues of German concern. The creation of diplomatic links would precipitate Arab recognition of the East German regime. the paper notes, and might lead to the severance of Arab diplomatic relations with West Germany.