Scranton's Mission for Nixon Assumes Aspect of Diplomacy
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
President-elect and he was bound
News)
to The
JERUSALEM
(JTA) — William I to study problems from their
grass-roots without being affected
W. Scranton, President - elect by past policy.
Nixon's personal fact-finding en-
Scranton entered Israel via the
voy to the Middle East,. had . a Allenby Bridge which he crossed
second, unscheduled, meeting with on foot owing to the ban on vehi-
Foreign Minister Abba Eban Tues- cular traffic from Jordan to the
day. He had a two-hour talk with West Bank. He conferred Sun-
Eban Monday after which he con- and in Amman with King Hussein
ferred for more than two hours and
Sad other Jordanian officials. On
with Prime Minister Levi Eshkol
he met with Egyptian
in what was described as a very , President Abdel Gamal Nasser in
frank exchange in a friendly and Cairo. He also visited Iran, Saudi
free atmosphere.
Arabia and Lebanon. Israel was
Scranton also met Tuesday with the last country on his Middle
Deputy Prime Minister Yigal East itinerary.
Allon and Defense Minister Moshe. Scranton told newsmen here
Dayan.
that he was encouraged by his
The foreign minister asked for visits to the Arab capitals. He
the extra meeting with Scranton said at a press conference in Am-
to expand on points he made in man Sunday that President
their earlier conversation. He re- Nasser and Foreign Minister Mah-
portedly stressed Israel's argu- moud Riad were "very open,
ment that she must be supplied frank and desirous of a reasonable
with sufficient military strength to and just settlement." He also said
deter aggression. He is also said that Arab leaders looked forward
to have made the point that sup- to a change in American Middle
port of Israel by other countries East policy though, he added,
did not result in worsening their their views were not precise.
relations with the Arabs. Observ-
According to reports from Am-
ers here believe Eban made that man, King Hussein indicated that
point in connection with state- one change he wanted was re-
ments by Scranton, both here and sumption of U.S. military aid to
in the Arab capitals, that the Jordan to help it even the arms
Nixon administration would pur- balance with Israel and to ease
sue a more even-handed policy in pressure on him to seek assistance
the Middle East and would not from the Soviet Union. Reports
favor one nation over any other. from Amman said that King Hus-
Scranton has not amplified those sein told Gov. Scranton that he
remarks which created consider- considered last week's Israeli air
ate interest here.
raid on Iraqi military positions in
The informality of his meet- Jordan not a reprisal but an at-
ing with Prime Minister Eshkol tempt to topple him from his
was indicated by the announce-
throne. He said Israel held him
ment that no minutes were
resonsible for the Iraqi artillery
taken. No American officials
attacks on Israeli settlements and
were present.
the incursions of comm ando
Eshkol is reported to have told groups but that he controlled
Scranton that Israel would oppose neither.
any proposed settlement of its
A radio broadcast from Beirut
dispute with the Arabs that fell made public a note that was de-
short of a signed peace treaty be livered to Gov. Scranton last week
tween the two sides. He also re- by a group of Lebanese leaders
portedly repeated Israel's opposi- who protested American support
lion to stationing United Nations . for Israel and warned that it might
troops at the Straits of Tiran or ' push the Arab world into the Corn-
on the Suez Canal as a means of munist camp. The signatories in-
ensuring free passage for all eluded two former foreign minis-
ships. He outlined the events lead- I ters, Dr. Charles Malik and Dr.
ing up to the June 1967 war which Georges Hakim. The note claimed
he said was the result of 19 years that U.S. support of Israel was in-
of unrelieved Arab hostility. compatible with Arab rights and
Israel, the prime minister report- violated the right of self-determin-
edly said, will under no circum- ation. Scranton said in Israel that
stances allow events to follow the he would not reach any conclu-
same course as they did prior to sions on the Middle East until he
the 1967 war. He also apprised summed up his impressions from
Scranton of the various views all the countries visited.
under discussion in the cabinet
Scranton reportedly asked Is-
concerning future relations with raeli leaders not to strike targets
the Arab countries. Scranton in Jordan and to refrain as much
brought Eshkol personal greetings as possible from hostile acts
from President-elect Nixon.
against Jordan. This was learn-
Allon reportedly explained to ed from sources close to Scran-
Scranton his plan to partition the ton who said that he believed
West Bank between an Arab en- such acts only increase tensions
slave and a chain of Israeli secu- and hurt chances for peace.
rity settlements along the banks of
Scranton left Lydda Airport
the Jordan, with a corridor link- Wednesday for the United States.
ing the Arab areas to Jordan. He At an airport press conference he
reportedly said the basis of his repeated earlier statements that
plan was Israel's view that the he was more encouraged about
Jordan River must remain its Middle East peace prospects than
security border. He said that view when he started the tour.
was shared by most cabinet mem- He said that he had no personal
hers, including those who do not opinions but could understand
accept the Allon plan.
both the Israeli and the Arab
According to reliable sources positions. "I found in Israel ele-
Scranton made It a point to tell
ments necessary for peace talks,"
Eban that Nixon does not feel he told reporters. "I had useful
bound by any statements of talks here, and talks with the Arab
policy made by anyone in the leaders have encouraged me. I
present administration, includ- understand Israel's position re-
ing President Johnson and the
garding direct negotiations which
State Department. He reportedly can bring peace to the Middle
believes that the principles of East. I also understand the Arab
American policy will not change. difficulty in stomaching Israel's
But Scranton reportedly did not reunification of Jerusalem."
explain the statement he made
Scranton emphasized that the
in several Arab capitals during
purpose of his Middle East junket
his current tour of the Middle was to gather facts and that policy
East—and repeated to newsmen decisions on the Middle East
at the Allenby Bridge—that the
would be made by Nixon.
U.S. "will pursue a more even-
Scranton met with Defense
Minister Moshe Dayan in the
handed policy" in the Middle
latter's home Tuesday. Report-
East when the Nixon adminis-
tration takes office next month.
ers were barred from the meet-
In reply to a reporter's question, ing which was attended by Gen,
he said he did not think the U.S.
Chaim Bar-Lev, chief of staff of
was showing favoritism at present. Israel's armed forces, Gen. Tzvi
Scranton reportedly told Eban that Tzur, deputy defense minister,
his duty was to report to the Gen. Aharon Yariv, chief of in-
telligence, and representatives
of the foreign ministry.
Dayan gave Scranton an ancient
glass object as a gift for Mrs.
Nixon. There was speculation that
Scranton may meet with Dayan
again when the general visits the
United States this weekend.
In the United States, there was
cautious reaction to Scranton's
statement that the United States
should adopt a more even-handed
policy.
What observers want to know is,
what does even-handed mean?
The executive director of the
American Israel Public Affairs
Committee, I. L. Kenen, terms the
remark a diplomatic cliche. What
is more ominous, he says, is that
the U.S. is seemingly coming
closer to the Soviet position with
reference to pressures on Israel to
withdraw from occupied terri-
tories.
Rep. Leonard Farbstein, (N.Y.,
D.), demanded that Scranton
clarify his statement. He wonder-
ed whether even-handedness sign-
ifies a change in Nixon's foreign
policy position on the Middle East
conflict.
Farbstein said he wanted to
know whether Scranton believes
that the U.S. should refuse to arm
Israel while the Arabs are being
heavily armed by the Soviet
Union, or whether it means that
Commenting on the current visit, will take all possible steps to pre-
Tass said that "connivance with vent a " dangerous flare-up" in
Israeli extremists has become a the area.
Scranton said in Rome Wednes-
sad tradition at the White House."
It said that Arab sentiments day that the Nixon administration
about the mission were justified would offer a Middle East peace
because of the sending of "tre- plan shortly after it takes office
mendous" arms supplies by the Jan. 20. He made the disclosure
U.S. to Israel which have "made during a brief stop-over at Rome
it possible for the Israeli extrem- Airport enroute home.
"Certainly, be will put forward
ists to pursue from a position of
strength their policy toward neigh- a peace plan," Scranton told re-
boring Arab states." "The Arab porters. "But for now I must keep
public justifiably considers the re- my ideas to myself."
cent agreement on the delivery of He said his Middle East tour
up-to-date Phantom jet fighter- convinced him that all parties con-
bombers to Tel Aviv as encourage- cerned genuinely want peace.
ment for the aggression which im- The London Times reported in
peds a political settlement of the a dispatch from Tel Aviv Wednes-
crisis in the Middle East," Tass day that many Israelis believe
said. Scranton was taken in by smooth
Observers noted that the Tass talk from the Arab leaders he met
commentary did not reiterate during his week-long Middle East
warnings delivered by the Com- tour.
Scranton was asked whether be
munist Party newpaper Pravda
that Moscow "will administer a thought Arab statements that con-
resolute rebuff to the intrigues of vinced him of the Arab desire for
the aggressors" in the Middle peace contradicted the policy de-
East and "will uphold the interest cision of the 1967 Arab summit
of our security and the security conference at Khartoum which
emphasized "no peace, no negotia-
of our friends."
The Pravda editorial said that tions, no recognition of IsraeL"
Moscow considers the Middle East Scranton replied, "Insofar as they
part of its security zone because were interpreted to me by Arab
it "directly adjoins our southern leaders, I do not see any differ-
borders" and that the Kremlin ences," the Times reported.
,
8—Friday, December 13, 1968
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Jordan should pay for the U.S.
arms that it is now getting free as
Israel does.
Kenen said that even-handedness
is a term normal to the vocabulary
of State Department diplomats.
They use it in Washington all the
time and intended by it to show
there is no favoritism. In the
Middle East dispute, it is intended
to reassure all the parties.
The Soviet Union's official news
agency, Tass said that Arab gov-
ernments viewed the fact-finding
mission with "pessimism and ap-
prehensive." Interpretors here
viewed the Tass commentary as
an expression of Soviet doubt
about Noxon's Middle East policy.
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