Max Fisher of Detroit, a Jewish leader and chairman of the Jewish Agency Board of Governors, reportedly informed Premier Yitzhak Rabin on Friday that President Ford and Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger believe there is room for another American effort on an Israel-Egypt pact before the full Geneva conference reconvenes. Fisher is a personal friend of Ford and met with the President several days ago.
Fisher arrived in Israel last Thursday and met almost at once with Rabin. His impression–that Ford and Kissinger want to try again–was reported by Yediot Achronot’s top diplomatic correspondent, Arye Zimuki. Fisher himself was not immediately available for comment. Present at Fisher’s meeting with Rabin were top officers of the Jewish Agency–Pinhas Sapir, chairman; Leon Dulzin, treasurer; and Moshe Rivlin, director-general.
Fisher is reported to have told the Israeli leaders that he had felt some atmosphere of tension in U.S.-Israel relations. But the Administration seemed to prefer thinking of future steps rather than churning over the recent failure of Kissinger’s shuttle mission. Fisher reportedly said he felt that Washington believes Israel missed an historic chance to obtain a settlement–but that it too was now interested in improving the strained relations with Jerusalem (By David Landau)
Reporting the stories that define our era. When history unfolds in real-time, the Jewish world turns to JTA. Your support ensures we can document the complexities of war and the resilience of Jewish communities with integrity.
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.
