Unseasonable Weather Puts Damper on Israel’s Anniversary Events

Unseasonably cold and rainy weather put a damper on celebrations of Israel’s 35th Independence Day today. The blustery elements may also have helped avert clashes between Peace Now demonstrators and West Bank settlers at ceremonies dedicating a new settlement, Beracha, overlooking Nablus, the largest Arab city on the West Bank.

The thousands of persons who trekked through mud to celebrate the dedication or oppose it, go a thorough drenching. The ceremonies had to be held indoors. Deputy Premier David Levy, the only Cabinet member to attend, did not address the celebrants and departed by helicopter after a brief stay.

Beracha, formerly a military (Nahal) outpost, was officially proclaimed a civilian settlement and a handful of families moved in. But the opposition Labor Party and others saw the government-sponsored event as a deliberate provocation to the 100,000 Palestinian residents of Nablus and had urged the government to cancel it.

Premier Menachem Begin ignored their pleas and, in his Independence Day speech today declared Israel’s “inalienable right to the Land of Israel” and stressed that his government’s massive settlement drive would continue.

SHOUTING MATCHES AT BERACHA

Thousands of Peace Now advocates and others opposed to Begin’s policy were bussed to the Beracha site where they faced thousands more settlers, mostly religious Jews wearing yarmulkas. The two sides shouted slogans at each other and waved placards. But violence predicted in some quarters did not occur.

Peace Now circles said tonight that they had achieved some success because the dedication of Beracha, touted as a State event and the centerpiece of this year’s Independence Day celebrations, was held under “semi-secret” conditions. It was not clear whether this was dictated by the presence of large numbers of protestors or by the heavy rainfall and high winds.

Later, Jewish settlers reportedly drove through Arab towns with Israeli flags flying from their cars and large color portraits of Begin on their rear windows. But the territory as a whole remained quiet in contrast to the recent weeks of almost daily clashes between stone-throwing Arab youths and Israeli security forces and settlers.

Independence Day festivities began in Israel last night, before the weather turned foul. Tens of thousands of young people thronged the main streets of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and other towns, dancing, singing and watching troupes of performers on temporary stages erected on sidewalks.

But the downpour today forced tens of thousands of Israelis to cancel their picnics and outings to the countryside and seashore. Nevertheless, many braved the elements to visit army, navy and air force bases which were opened to the public for the occasion. An estimated 50,000 persons visited the navy facility at Ashdod and thousands of Jerusalemites toured the Neve Yaacov artillery base just north of the city.