Cabinet Reaches No Decision on How to Nullify Egypt’s Truce Violations

Israeli military action to nullify the advantages gained by Egypt from its truce violations since the cease-fire went into effect Aug. 7 was considered by the Cabinet yesterday, it was learned from reliable sources. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan reportedly favored such action but no decision was reached. The matter presumably will be taken up again at the next Cabinet meeting on Sunday. Israel’s United Nations Ambassador, Yosef Tekoah, will remain in Jerusalem for that meeting and is not expected to return to New York before next Monday, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency learned from reliable sources. Mr. Tekoah is Foreign Minister Abba Eban’s alternate at the peace talks being conducted in New York by United Nations envoy Gunnar V. Jarring. The official reason advanced for the delay is that the Cabinet has not concluded its deliberations on guidelines for Mr. Tekoah.

There is no secret here however that the government is seriously split over what Israel’s position should be at the talks and whether Israel should participate in them at all until measures are taken to rectify Egypt’s cease-fire violations in the Suez Canal zone. The government is said to be both puzzled and angered over the lack of any decisive response by the United States to the Egyptian violations. The JTA learned today that Israel acquiesced to a U.S. request that it refrain from making a major issue of the movement of SAM missiles into the standstill cease-fire zone during the night of Aug. 7-8 when the truce went into effect. That request was reportedly accompanied by new deliveries of American arms to compensate Israel for whatever military disadvantage it may have sustained as a result of the Egyptian violations.

But Israel claims that the Egyptians have continued their violations since then and are steadily improving their military position, something that President Nixon assured the Israel government would not happen. Gen. Dayan has reportedly made it clear to his Cabinet colleagues that he could not continue to take responsibility for the deteriorating situation in the canal zone. The implication is that Gen. Dayan will resign from the Cabinet unless he is given a green light to take what he considers appropriate action. Gen. Dayan’s position is reportedly gaining support in the government. But with decision deferred to next Sunday’s Cabinet meeting, the Defense Minister is not likely to make any move before then. Gen. Dayan told newsmen today that the question of his resignation from the government depended upon what the government does. Asked to elaborate, he replied, “You can’t squeeze any milk out of this bull.”