American Jewish Leftists Support Israel on Peace but Hit Dayan, Allon, Beigin

A group of Jewish leftists has voiced support of a Middle East peace based on Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign state within “secure and guaranteed boundaries.” But a statement issued by “Leaders of Progressive Jewish Organizations” at a meeting here Monday assailed both Arab leaders who have announced their intention to destroy Israel and certain Israeli leaders whom the group described as ” expansionists” and “annexationists.” In those categories it placed Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, Deputy Premier Yigal Allon and Herut Party leader Menachem Beigin.

The statement was signed by 15 figures prominent on the Jewish left: Paul Novick, editor, and Chaim Suller, general manager of the Morning Freiheit, a Yiddish daily; Morris U. Schappes, editor of the magazine Jewish Currents; Itche Goldberg, national director of Friends of Jewish Secular Education and editor of Yiddishe Kultur; Simon Federman and Sam Shapiro, leaders of the American Federation of Polish Jews; Abraham Lechowitzky, national secretary of the Jewish Music Alliance; Abraham Janofsky, national secretary of the Yiddish Culture Farband; Leah Nelson, Rose Raynes and Mollie Goldstein, leaders of the Emma Lazarus Federation of Jewish Women’s Clubs; and Sonia Sussman, Maurice Grubin, Gedalia Sandler and Sam Pevzner, leaders of the Jewish Cultural Clubs and Societies.

The group’s statement urged that Mideast peace be based on the Security Council’s Nov. 22, 1967 resolution and appealed to the U.S., Soviet Russia, Britain, France and the United Nations “to do everything in their power” to further that end. It noted that Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Yosef Tekoah, formally announced his Government’s acceptance of the resolution and that Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban and, most recently Premier Golda Meir, have offered peace negotiations to the Arabs with no prior conditions. However, the statement said, “other opinions were heard from some members of the Israeli Government.

It quoted Gen. Dayan as stating on Aug. 14, 1969 that Israel would not implement the 1967 resolution or accept it as a basis for negotiations. It referred to statements by Mr. Allon and Mr. Beigin advocating the complete or partial annexation of the occupied Arab territories. “There cannot be peace with annexation just as there cannot be withdrawals without negotiations nor peace without the UN resolution as a basis,” the statement said.