Goldberg Raps Critics Who Claim Israel Lacks Flexibility in Negotiating with Arabs

Arthur J. Goldberg, who was United States Ambassador to the United Nations at the time of the Six-Day War, lashed out today at critics of Israel who claim it is not sufficiently flexible in negotiating with the Arabs. Goldberg, a former U.S. Supreme Court Justice, addressed the israel labor Party convention which convened in the Mann Auditorium here today after its formal opening last night in Jerusalem. Goldberg endorsed virtually every position taken by the Israeli government. He upheld Israel’s insistance on “secure and defendable borders” declaring that “the return to the June 4, 1967 borders is not a prescription for peace but for renewal of hostilities.” He supported Israel’s claim that any external pressure, including that from Washington, could lead to a new Mideast war. He opposed the stationing of American and Russian forces in a regional peace keeping force because, according to Goldberg, that would increase the danger of a confrontation between the superpowers. Finally, Goldberg maintained that Four Power suggestions for international guarantees and peace-keeping forces “simply would not fit into the region and would not bring peace.”