Premier Menachem Begin, who was scheduled to return to Israel tonight, spent the weekend in a grueling series of public appearances before major American Jewish organizations, held private talks with prominent Jews and non-Jews, conferred for an hour with United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim, was interviewed on NBC-TV “Meet the Press,” and met for little more than a hour with former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger today.
Kissinger said after his meeting with Begin, which was at the Premier’s invitation, that he was hopeful the Israeli leader’s proposals could result in a peace agreement. He also told reporters he was very hopeful that the Geneva conference would reconvene this year. “These talks should be given a chance”. Kissinger said.
He added that the Geneva conference “alone can bring peace”. A spokesman for Begin disclosed later today that the Premier spoke by telephone to former President Gerald Ford. He said Begin invited ford to visit Israel and Ford accepted and said he would arrange a date.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR ISRAEL’S SURVIVAL
Begin told 400 cheering well-wishers at a meeting of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations here Friday morning at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel that Israel wants no guarantees of its survival from the U.S.
“Israel will never ask one American soldier to shed his blood for Israel. For the survival of Israel, only the Jewish people and its elected representatives are and will be responsible,” he said. He said that Israel had little faith in guarantees, citing the long history of broken commitments dating from the Munich pact of 1938.
The Premier was praised by Rabbi Alexander Schindler, chairman of the Presidents Conference, who said he had succeeded in regaining “the moral initiative” for Israel during his visit here. However, Schindler warned the Jewish community not to be blinded by the euphoria over Begin’s success but to be ready to face “the harsh realities before us”.
URGES JEWISH UNITY
Begin received a tumultuous welcome from more than 2000 American Jewish leaders attending a United Jewish Appeal luncheon in his honor Friday afternoon. He told them that Israel does not want to need American assistance forever and urged the American Jewish community to stand behind Israel “to fight with her and to resist if necessary”. He urged Jews to help Israel to stand on a sound economic foundation by investing in Israel.
Leonard Strelitz, UJA general chairman, greeted Begin with the observation, “You are the right man at the right time to provide leadership”. He said the obligation of the American Jewish community is to keep Israel strong and the goal of the UJA is to raise $700 million in 1978.
URGES INVESTMENT IN ISRAEL
Addressing a cheering throng of more than 2000 Jewish leaders from the U.S. and Canada at a national dinner on his behalf by the Israel Bond Organization where some $13.5 million in bonds were sold, Begin reaffirmed that his mission to the U.S. had been successful in deepening U.S. Israel friendship.
Directing his remarks to the business and industrial leaders at the dinner, the Premier asserted that his government “stands for free private initiative as the instrument to build a country. We are grateful for any assistance but we dream, we strive for the day we can live on our own toil. So come and invest. We shall remove obstacles to bureaucracy. We shall give security to investment so all of us together can build up the country”.
Sam Rothberg, Israel Bond general chairman, who presided at the dinner, called Begin “the symbol of heroic leadership in the struggle for independence and now “the spokesman for a new destiny for the Jewish people”.
PLIGHT OF SYRIAN JEWRY DISCUSSED
At his meeting with Waldheim, which preceded the UJA luncheon, Begin focused on the plight of Syrian Jewry and criticized the European Economic Community for adopting a resolution recently supporting the idea of a Palestinian state. “Perhaps more than any other people, the Europeans should be very careful with proposals which may mean the shedding of Jewish blood”.
Begin said he told the Secretary General that Israel would do “whatever we can” to prevent the destruction of the Christian minority in Lebanon and that Israel would never agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state. He said he also asked Waldheim to intercede with President Hafez Assad of Syria to obtain exit visas for the Syrian Jewish community of about 800 families. Begin said Waldheim promised to take up the issue with Assad.
Appearing today on the “Meet the Press” program. Begin repeated most of the elements of the peace plan he presented to President Carter and unveiled at a press conference in Washington last Wednesday. Noting that the plan contained three alternate ways of proceeding with the Geneva talks-face-to-face but separate talks at Geneva, bilateral talks with each of the neighboring countries or proximity talks-Begin said the goal of any one of these should be the signing of a final, comprehensive peace agreement.
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.
