Brzezinski; Settlement Troubles U.S.

National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski said yesterday that he welcomed the protests by many Israelis against the establishment of a new settlement on the West Bank near Nablus, a move that, he observed, “troubles” the United States. “We are troubled by it and I am very encouraged that so many Israelis are now troubled by this too,” Brzezinski said in response to questions on the ABC-TV program “Issues and Answers” yesterday.

He was referring to Alon Moreh, a settlement of the Gush Emunim movement sanctioned by a majority of the Cabinet. About 3000 members of Israel’s Peace Now Movement encircled the site over the weekend to protest its establishment and the expropriation of Arab-owned land for that purpose. Brzezinski, who is President Carter’s chief advisor on foreign affairs, said the new settlement “troubles us because it could contribute to a reversal” of the peace process. “We want the momentum” of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty “to be continued and not to be reversed,” he said.

DECLINES TO GUESS BEGIN’S RATIONALE

He opened his comment, in response to a question as to why the Israelis are building the settlement, by remarking, “You probably noticed that yesterday a large number of Israelis protested the setting up of that settlement.” He noted that “This particular settlement is built on private land in an Arab-populated area and distant from actual security zones.” The settlement “certainly needlessly exacerbates” Arab-Israeli relations,” he added.

Pressed to comment on what rationale Premier Menachem Begin is giving the U.S. government for the settlement, Brzezinski said, “I don’t think I should really be setting his position for him. He is, as you know, a very eloquent person and he makes a strong case for himself.” He added, “Our hope is that Israeli-Egyptian negotiations can now gain momentum and begin to engage the Palestinians in discussion of their own future and we’re going to be encouraging the parties to move in that direction.”