The Mapam Council urged the government last night to follow a clear policy of territorial compromise on all fronts and to try to find a solution to the Palestinian problem. But it agreed that Israel’s future borders must ensure the nation’s security and it did not favor the creation of a Palestinian state.
Naftali Feder, political secretary of Mapam, expressed doubt that a Palestinian state would contribute to peace in the Middle East. Mapam Secretary General Meir Talmi said the party was opposed to such a state but that Israel would have no right to crush it by force should the Palestinians decide to create one.
Veteran Mapam leader Yaacov Hazan had praise for Premier Menachem Begin and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt. He said he believed both leaders sincerely sought peace. He said that if Begin, long a political foe, turns out to be the man who brings peace to Israel “I assure you that I will be the first to congratulate him.” Mapam decided against joining the Likud-led coalition government. If the Labor Party ever agreed to join, the Labor Alignment would be dissolved, the Mapam Council 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.
