Abba Eban, Israel’s elder statesman and an outspoken dove, told an overflow audience of Jews here last week that a Palestinian state would not imperil Israel nor present a military threat, because Israel is vastly superior militarily.
Eban also said he was convinced the Palestine Liberation Organization does not want to annex Jerusalem, east or west, but wants only sovereignty over the mosques on the Temple Mount.
Eban spoke Wednesday at a meeting organized by the Center for Information and Documentation on Israel, a leading pro-Israel organization.
The former foreign minister of Israel and former Labor Party member of the Knesset was in town to participate in a symposium on “Peace in the Middle East,” which was held at The Hague Tuesday through Thursday.
The symposium was organized by a private group of Dutch university lecturers considered to be pro-Arab.
The participants were Israeli, Dutch and a Palestinian delegation headed by Bassam Abu Sharif, political adviser to PLO chief Yasir Arafat.
Other Palestinians included East Jerusalem journalist Hanna Siniora and lawyer Sari Nusseibeh from Ramallah.
In addition to Eban, the Israelis included Peace Now activist Galia Golan and Meir Payil of the Progressive List for Peace.
The Dutch Foreign Minister, Hans van den Broek, was persuaded to attend the opening and did so apparently out of deference to Eban.
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.
