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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, June 6, 1975 35
Eban Satisfied With End of Labor Party's °Great Debate'
JERUSALEM (JTA) —
Abba Eban has emerged
from the Labor Alignment's
"political debate" satisfied
and encouraged. The debate
clearly showed, he says,
that he is not "an eccentric
loner" within the Labor
movement, a "maverick" in
his questioning of the gov-
ernment's peace policy. The
views which he stated in the
first session of the debate
were echoed by veteran
Mapam leaders, by some ex-
Ahdut Haovadah members,
and by several members of
ex-Mapai including Pinhas
Sapir.
Political pundits have cal-
culated that almost half of
the 30-odd speakers who
tool' part in "the great de-
bate" sided with Eban in his
call for the government to
draft an overall peace plan
now, and to draft its territo-
rial provisions dovishly.
Eban believes his own
outspoken criticism of the
government was the cause
or at least the catalyst of
the decision to hold the de-
bate. And the debate, he
says, was thoroughly bene-
ficial.
Eban noted that many
observers saw him as the
focus of the dovish camp
which evolved during the
debate beyond the former
dove-hawk demarcation
lines, and certainly trans-
versed the old factional
divides within the Labor
Alignment. He believes
that the continuation and
intensification of the de-
bate is inevitable as the
"moment of truth" inexor-
ably approaches.
He still believes that an
interim settlement will
solve nothing in the long-
or even medium-range pe-
riod, and therefore sees lit-
tle purpose in it, beyond,
perhaps, an improvement
of the atmosphere at the
subsequent resumption of
the Geneva conference.
For the conference will
certainly reconvene, Eban
asserts, very probably this
year, whether or not there
is an interim Israeli-Egyp-
tian accord.
"An interim settlement
cannot provide a long period
of quiescence," he says. He
does not subscribe to Ra-
bin's thesis that Israel's
prime aim must be to "gain
time" through the "seven
lean years" ahead. "It is
impossible to play for time
. . . We simply won't be left
alone for years after an in-
terim settlement with
Egypt . . . The Soviets and
the Arabs will take us to Ge-
neva soon enough . . . ," he
said.
His "impression‘;" says
Eban, is that Kissinger,is
similarly aware of the inev-
itability and imminence of
Geneva, regardless of an
interim settlement.
All this being so, "June
1975 is not too early for the
government to tell the peo-
ple that Geneva is in the off-
ing" and to prepare its peace
plan accordingly, Eban
says. In his speech at La-
bor's "great debate," Eban
outlined a 20-point list of
"components of peace"
which he recommended that
the government demand at
Geneva.
Eban- points out that his
tactical — as distinct from
Peace for the Arabs, he
long-term strategic — criti- explained, must be a major
cisms of the government's revolution in their pat-
present policy were shared terns of thought and life.
by more than half of the Their fundamental atti-
participants in the debate. tude to the existence of Is-
Former Defense Minister rael must undergo a dras-
Moshe Dayan, for instance, tic change — which must
who does not share Eban's find expression in these
minimalist views on bor- legal, political, diplo-
ders, agreed with him nev- matic, economic, social
ertheless on the need for the and cultural provisions
government to seize the pol- which together comprise
itical initiative and break "peace" as it is under-
out of its present do-nothing stood by other neighboring
posture, Eban remarked.
nations who live side by
Many of those defending side without hostility.
the government's tactics
Israel should begin with a
were in fact members of the
cabinet, who share responsi- "maximalist" line in its
bility for them and could peace demands, Eban said.
hardly have been expected If the Arabs find the list un-
to speak otherwise, Eban palatable in its entirety,
points out. The current Is- then there is logical justifi-
raeli position, Eban says, is cation in seeking a compro-
that "we have nothing more mise — in the form of par-
to offer on an interim settle- tial settlements — in which
ment and do not wish to dis- the Arabs accept some of Is-
cuss at this stage an overall
settlement."
Eban has all along op-
Soviets to Sell °
.posed an i.nterim settle-
Reactor
to Libya
ment, mainly because he be-
lieves that such vital assets
NEW YORK — Libya
as the Mitle Pass should be
traded in the context of a announced this week that
more meaningful and more the Soviet Union has agreed
to sell it a nuclear reactor to
permanent arrangement.
He still feels this way, but be used for "peaceful mea-
he said that if the govern- sures only," according to
ment still hopes for an in- news sources.
terim settlement — as it
Libya is believed to seek
clearly does—it must strike nuclear power to pump huge
out to achieve one soon and quantities of water from un-
not allow the post-suspen- derground to irrigate desert
sion immobility take root in land in which the Tripoli
the region — with all the government has been invest-
dangers that immobility can ing billions of dollars for ag-
spell.
ricultural development.
rael's peace demands and Is-
rael accepts some of the
Arabs territorial demands.
But it is "not very intelli-
gent" for Israel to expect the
Arabs to declare at Geneva
that they are ready for
peace without Israel simul-
taneously stating its territo-
rial demands, Eban points
out.
Rabin and other minis-
ters have argued that what-
ever Israel puts forward as
its minimal territorial de-
mands will he treated by the
other side as maximum bar-
gaining positions — and
they conclude therefore that
it would be wiser not to
draft a peace plan.
Eban takes cognizance of
the argument, but demurs
to the conclusion. He does
not propose, he says, that
Israel present now precisely
delineated maps: but it
must make clear its basic
"propositions."
These, he says, should
be: That territorial con-
cessions depend in their
scope on the Arabs' re-
sponse to Israel's peace
demands. That in the
event of some Arab re-
sponse, Israel would insist
on extensive demilitariza-
tion of areas returned and
on changes in the 1967
lines which, while not rad-
ically changing the pre-
1967 borders, would
"significantly change the
conditions under which we
live."
The aim should be to
avoid annexing large areas
or large populations. Israel
must "stay up on the Golan"
— but Eban does not define extra-territorial arrange-
"stay up." There would have ment. Together with then-
to be a relatively small ministers Menachem
change at Rafah (south of gin and Zerach Warhaftig,
the Gaza Strip), retention of he drafted soon after the,
control and access at Sharm Six-Day War, a letter to
el-Sheikh (for which a jurid- United Nations Secretary
ical arrangement could be General U Thant inform-
made)'and Jerusalem must ing him of the cabinet deci-
remain united.
sion to this effect.
Even if these moderate
On the Palestinian ques-
demands were rejected by tion, Eban endorses the
the Arabs, Eban says they "Yariv formula" which ex-
would heel) Israel's relations pressed willingness to nego-
with the powers and the tiate with any Palestinian
wider world by giving the lie representation that recog-
to the "expansionist" allega- nizes Israel. Under its pre- .
tions.
sent leaders-hip, the PLO is
Israel's insistence that unlikely to come to recog-
Jerusalem never be redi- nize Israel, and therefore
vided has gained much Israel must continue to op-
support in the world, Eban pose a separate Palestinian
*points out. The question of state on the West Bank, as
the holy places would have long as that is the case,
to be solved by some sort of Eban says firmly.
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