Dr. Joseph P. Sternstein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, formed recent statements by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Syrian and Palestine Liberation Organization leaders as a “spurious peace offensive” and castigated the State Department and “some self-appointed Jewish spokesmen” for accepting and supporting the peace ploy.
Speaking here at a meeting. Sternstein termed the Arab peace offensive a serious challenge to Israel’s security. “Sadat seeks to impress the world public opinion with the belief that the Arabs how want peace with Israel and he seems to have succeeded in making them believe that it is now up to Israel to grasp the Arab hand and pacify the Middle East.” the ZOA leader said.
Sternstein said the American people must be cautioned “against any illusion of a true movement towards peace in the Middle East. There are no signs that the Arabs have given up their aim of destroying Israel. The peace offensive is only a stunt to force Israel to her knees by the pressure of world opinion, especially the U.S.”
In this connection, Sternstein was sharply critical of the Jews who met last month in Washington and New York with PLO representatives. “Regrettably, some self-appointed Jewish spokesmen have apparently succumbed to the Pied Piper peace tunes from Cairo and El Fatah.” he observed. Although the creation of a Palestinian state on the West Bank and in Gaza, which Cairo and the PLO are demanding, constitutes a dagger at the heart of Israel. “there are some Jewish organizations that approve it.” Sternstein said. The discussions with the PLO representatives only lend credibility to the PLO’s “alleged moderation.”
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.
