Israeli Ambassador Chaim Herzog has urged American Jews to remain united with the people of Israel as a means of strengthening Israel’s chances for achieving a Mideast peace settlement. “In our negotiations with Egypt,” he said, “we will succeed only if we are strong as a united people–only if the Jews of America and the rest of the world stand with Israel without compromise.”
Herzog made his remarks at an Israel Bond dinner at the Plaza Hotel which launched a year-long campaign marking Israel’s 30th anniversary of statehood. Some 200 Jewish leaders attended the event and purchased $400,000 in Israel Bonds for Israel’s economic development.
In his remarks last Saturday night, Herzog explained that Jewish solidarity is of crucial importance as a means of offsetting a major public relations race now being waged by President Anwar Sadat of Egypt. For the first time in history, Herzog said, an Arab leader is going over the head of Israel to negotiate with the Jewish public. “Sadat is trying to pressure Israel to make concessions without giving anything in return, “he stated.”In effect, he is using public ultimatums to achieve a peace treaty.” Herzog predicted that the Egyptian leader would not succeed in dividing American Jewry and that, eventually, he would have to return to the business of negotiating directly with Israel.
Turning to the question of Israeli settlements in the Rafah salient in the northern Sinai, Herzog emphasized that these Jewish communities are important to Israel’s security. He noted that recent public discussions in the U.S. about the Panama Canal treaty indicated that Congressmen are concerned about the security of their own country in Panama after the year 2,000.
“If these leaders can worry about America’s security in the Panama Canal Zone some 1,500 miles from its border, why can’t Israel worry about the Rafah salient, only a few kilometers from its border, which has been a staging area for the Arabs to attack Israel in three wars?” Herzog asked.
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.
