Ofira Navon, wife of Israel’s President Yitzhak Navon, said that although relations between Egypt and Israel have improved significantly since the signing of the Camp David accords in 1978, “friends” of Israel who seek further concessions from Israel because of global political problems tend to forget those already made.
Mrs. Navon, addressing 500 persons at the 27th annual Israel Bond fashion show and luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel yesterday, did not specify who those “friends” were, but cited the “difficult negotiations with Egypt regarding the provision for autonomy.” She noted, however, the return of Sinai, a strategically important area with three military airfields, vital oil fields, and the abandoning of new settlements, as areas Israel has already committed itself to relinquish for a peaceful co-existence.
CITES SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS
Mrs. Navon cited the daily flights by El Al and Nefertiti Airlines between Tel Aviv and Cairo, the official visits by heads of state and education and cultural exchanges as some of the significant achievements in Israeli-Egyptian relations. She added that the real nature of peace will not just come from the people in powerful positions but will focus on relations between the people of both nations.
“Now the Egyptian people will be able to see us as we really are: a small nation, but a brave one, longing for peace but ready to fight for its freedom, a nation with serious problems to contend with, but firm in its determination to develop its small, historic homeland,” Mrs. Navon declared.
She said there remain apprehensions as “various elements” try to “sabotage” the peace agreement. “Several Arab states are participating in this endeavor, along with the PLO and at their side stands Soviet Russia,” she said.
“We would be delighted to exchange tanks for tractors, planes for schools,” Mrs. Navon said, but concluded: “We cannot confidently forecast the course of events in the world and in the Middle East. The general situation is fluid, and many contradictory forces are at work in it. We are obliged to be on guard, to continue to hope for the best, but to be prepared for evil winds that may blow against us.”
DESCRIBES ‘SHELTER CITIES’ PROGRAM
Mrs. Navon previewed a program called “Shelter Cities” which she hopes to implement in conjunction with Jihan Sadat, wife of President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, and other world personalities such as the Queen of England and the First Lady of Mexico. The program would accomodate children who are victims of natural disasters or war. Shelter camps would be set up in suitable agreed locations bearing an international flag were children would receive both physical and emotional first aid.
The program would work in cooperation with the United Nations and top UNICEF officials. Mrs. Navon added that just recently, the Egyptian Ambassador to the United Nations confirmed his support for the program.
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.
