2 Friday, June 17, 1977

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Purely Commentary

Now It Is the Map That Relates the Story About Israel's
Precariousness in the Mideast...The Old Lines Indicate
Helplessness in Mass Attacks by the Arab Antagonists

By Philip
Slomoviti

Begin's Realism: Insistence on Defensible Borders

Menahem Begin has been develop when the opposition enemy also stops saber- is only a
guaranteed proach
obstacles, ton or in Damascus, must
and
called all sorts of names. that insists on being the rattling. Peace—even if it truce—has a two-way ap- whether erected in Washing-
not be permitted.
He has been depicted as a
terrorist. Some called him
a fascist. The realism of his
being a freedom fighter and
an Israeli patriot will no
doubt be demonstrated in
the process of his services
as Israel's prime minister.
His approach to the issue
of Israel's defensible bor-
ders was best described by
him in his recent television
interview.
That's when he spoke in
WITH DETAILED VIEW
terms of kilometers, of the
short distance between Is-
OF DISTANCE FACTORS
rael and her enemies
should they decide to in-
FOR DEFENSE PURPOSES
vade the sanctum of Is-
I( ES I Co
rael's sovereignty and to
z
aim at Israel's destruction.
Here is a map that sub-
stantiates the Begin state-
t • NABLUS
ments. With modern weap-
MkEs
onry as a threat a state can
be destroyed from a long
CC
distance. But as long as
0
there are territorial bar-
riers there is a measure of
security. Remove those
bars to the enemy and he
can step right into Israel's
MIL Es
t
back yard and destroy at
will.
A
cc
This map speaks for it-
t ao oft es 0.4.
mi
self. Without the Sinai
0
desert as a protection from
JERUSALEM
n `<-
_
Egypt, Judaea and Samaria
•C
•
ma
•
HAIFA-
as a guard against Hussein
.01. BETHLEHEM
POP. 227,000
and the Golan Heights as a
/9-
I
MADERA
defense area on the Syrian
POP. 35,700
border, Israel might have
NETANYA
HEBRON
been demolished during the
POP. 82,4
A
•
Yom Kippur War. It was
HERZLIYA
•
POP.
47,800,N,
sad enough then, and the Is-
RAMAT GAN
MILES
raelis' heroism and deter-
POP. 12 -.,000
mined will to resist annihila-
TEL AVIV
tion registered the greatest
POP. 353,800
victory in October, 1973.
ST EM
PETAH TIKVA
But the territorial aspect
POP. 106,800
was a vital one.
What is shown here, on
the descriptive maps, does
not need elaboration. It is
GAZA
clear that under the pre-
1967 conditions the enemy
could just walk in and take
over, considering the over-
whelming odds of Arab nu-
merical strength.
Is Menahem Begin justi-
fied in what is considered
an intransigent policy of re-
fusing to yield territorially
on what is described as the
West Bank and which he
calls Israel's natural posses-
sions _ in Judaea and Sa-
maria? The prevailing senti-
ment is that a partial with-
EGYPT
drawal may be an absolute
necessity and that in the in-
terest of peace it is better
to give a bit and gain
much. But all consid-
erations of territorial rights
Bu tiN Fl TFEEDR NATIONS
depend upon the negotia-
EIL AT
kirs, and thus far there
have been .only the state-
ments by President Carter
asserting it to be American
policy that Israel must with-
SAUDI
draw—all uttered when not
IN En 11111 ME
101. MIN 1 949- 1967 ARMISTICE LINES
a single move in the direc-
AR4814
tion of talks for peace has
fructified.
That's why the threats of
another war are like clari-
on calls repeatedly heard
ISRAEL-ADMINISTERED
from the deserts and the
TERRITORIES
cities in the Middle East.
That is why the mis-
interpretations of United Na-
tions resolutions have cre-
ated such havoc on the dip-
POPULATION FIGURES AS OF JANUARY 1976
lomatic scene. That's why
RED SEA
SHAH
Menahem Begin and Likud
sound warnings. Perhaps a
EMBASS Y OF ISRAEL. MARCH 1977
mellowness is more apt to

1949-1967
ARMISTICE LINES

t c % 5 .,
cp

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