Former Defense Minister Moshe Dayan unveiled his own plan for the West Bank last night which, he said, envisioned neither annexation nor the return of any of the territory to Arab sovereignty. Dayan spoke to 200 members of the United Jewish Appeal Study Mission who were guests at his home near Tel Aviv.
When asked if his signing two weeks ago of a Likud petition opposing any territorial concessions on the West Bank would jeopardize his political career as a Labor Alignment MK, Dayan replied. “I did not think of Moshe Dayan. I thought of the West Bank even If It may undermine my career.”
He said he was speaking out on territorial matters because he feared the government was displaying too great a readiness to give up territories for little or nothing in return in the way of a peace settlement. He said he did not insist that the Israeli flag be hoisted over the West Bank. But he opposed a Jordanian flog or even a Palestinian one.
“We must demand three points.” Dayan said. “No partition of the West Bank; our right to settle there; and no foreign armies there.” He said that while the Israeli Army would defend the West Bank, Israel would not intervene in the internal affairs of the West Bank inhabitants, except in matters of security, and they would be free to send their representatives to Jordan if they wished. He said the Arabs might not accept his plan, but they accept no plan other than total Israeli with drawl, and they are not even prepared to offer peace in exchange for that he said.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
