Weizman Advocates Direct, Severe, Military Pressure Against Arab States

Gen. Ezer Weizman, chairman of the Herut Party, advocated today that Israel apply direct and severe military pressure against Arab countries that aid and support terrorists in order to force those countries to put an end to terrorist operations themselves. The former Air Force commander and former Cabinet minister claimed that the selective bombing of terrorist bases in neighboring countries and the periodic search-and-destroy raids into terrorist zones were ineffective.

He said Israeli forces should not have been pulled out of Lebanon following the latest raid a week ago. Had they stayed, the Beirut regime would have been forced to act effectively against terrorists operating from Lebanese territory, he said. Addressing a crowded press conference here, Gen. Weizman repudiated suggestions by some Israeli groups, including the Jewish Defense League, for a counter-terrorist campaign, employing terrorist methods against terrorists in the Middle East and wherever else they may be.

Weizman stressed that the war against terrorists and the war against the Arab countries are one and the same. He said the Arab regimes supporting terrorists do so because they are unable or unwilling to confront Israel on the battle field. He said the countries concerned were Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Libya which give full support–physical and moral–to the terrorists.

He suggested that an ultimatum be issued immediately to those governments warning them that if a single terrorist act is staged against Israeli citizens, airliners or installations, Israel would retaliate with massive action to put an end to that peril. Weizman said that Lebanon and Syria were not particularly disturbed by the Israeli raids on terrorist bases because only a few score casualties resulted. He charged the Israeli government with treating the terrorist problem too lightly and accused Israeli authorities of severe negligence in connection with the Munich tragedy.