Contrasting
Views of the-
Disputants
at Camp David
THE JEWISH NEWS
Commentary, Page 2
A Weekly Review
of Jewish Events
The Altalena:
An Addendum
by Yitzhak Ben-Ami
on the Role of
the Irgun and
Menahem Begin
Page 21
VOL. LXXIII, No 25 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 424-8833 $12.00 Per Year This Issue 30c August 25, 1978
The Collapse of Yadin's DMC
Cuts Likud Knesset Strength
Foreign Policy Mandate
Is Defended by Begin
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Premier Menahem Begin rejected a
suggestion by British Zionist leader Michael Sacher that Begin
should seek a new mandate for his foreign policy because he was
elected, fundamentally, on his economic program and not on the
issue of peace negotiations with Egypt. In an open letter to Sacher
in the Jerusalem Post, in response to Sachet's open letter in the
Post on Aug. 10, Begin also rejected the British Zionist's view
that Begin's inflexible foreign policy could lead to another series
of wars. The Premier's open letter stated:
"Yesterday (Aug. 16), which was the last day of my short
vacation, I read your letter in the Jerusalem Post and it left me
wondering. During the last year you had numerous opportunities
to talk to me in the circle of a few friends, or, if you so wished,
privately. But you did not use those opportunities. You never
brought your interesting suggestion to me but preferred, as the
Americans say, to go public.
"This is your right. Since I became a disciple of (Zeev)
Jabotinsky at the age of 15 — it is now 50 years ago — I
learned from him, and believe this with all my heart, that
Eretz Yisrael belongs to all the Jewish people and not only
to that portion of our people that lives here. However, it is
my duty to state that a national election being the internal
issue in any country, must
always remain the legiti-
mate exclusive domain of
those_ who can influence
the electorate or be influ-
enced by it.
"Your suggestion or allega-
tion that my colleagues and I
were elected by the people
mainly on the basis of our
economic plan is, to put it
mildly, a complete mistake.
We campaigned for months
on two issues: the political-
security problems and the
socio-economic problems.
Every child in Israel knew
exactly what we stood for on
the question of peace and se-
curity — the more so the
MICHAEL SACHER
(Continued on Page 10)
TEL AVIV (JTA) — The Democratic Movement for Change (DMC) which
has been divided by internal dissension since it entered Premier Menahem
Begin's Likud government .a year ago made the division official early Wed-
nesday and split into two separate groups.
Neither of the groups will be allowed to use the name DMC. One group, led
by Deputy Premier Yigael Yadin, will be called the Democratic Movement
and will include seven or eight of the DMC'A 15 Knesset members. The other
group, headed by Prof. Amnon Rubinstein, which has long urged the DMC to
pull out of the government, will be called Shinui, (change) the name of the
movement Rubinstein founded after the Yom Kippur War. It will have five
MKs.
Still unknown is what Transport Minister Meir Amit and the two or three
DMC MKs who support him will do. It is possible he may form his own faction.
Likud, by itself, has 62 seats in the 120-member Knesset.
The final internal disintegration of the DMC began last week at the
first meeting of the group's 135-member governing council when
Yadin's proposal that the party should elect its institutions before it
holds ideological discussions was defeated by a 58-57 vote. The
Rubinstein forces were supported by Amit in opposing Yadin.
However, Yadin still maintained that the council should meet and elect the
institutions without which, he said, the DMC could not function. Rubinstein
said that by calling the meeting for this week Yadin was acting in defiance of
last week's vote.
This precipitated the final crisis which resulted in the two groups meeting
in a marathon session through Tuesday night until the split was agreed upon.
The main problem was the distribution of the DMC's money, offices and
other possessions. Israeli parties receive most of their money from the gov-
ernment and since the DMC is the third largest party in the Knesset the funds
it has are large. It was finally agreed to divide everything proportionally
according to the number of MKs each group has. This will hold true also if a
third group develops headed by Amit.
AMNON RUBENSTEIN
Lebanese Emissary at Midnight Meeting?
JERUSALEM (JTA) — An urgent, secretive meeting took place at the Prime Minister's Jerusalem residence
at midnight Tuesday between Menahem Begin and senior government officials and an unconfirmed, uniden-
tified non-Israeli figure. It was assumed that the meeting centered on security and political developments in
Lebanon. According to senior sources, Syria is using the cease-fire, in effect since Aug. 12, to develop a large scale
attack on the Christians and break their military forces in Lebanon.
Participants in the three-hour meeting, which included Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan, Defense Minister
Ezer Weizman and Chief of Staff Raphael Eitan, refused to divulge details. However, reportedly a car left a side
entrance of the Premier's residence following the meeting, in an attempt to escape photographers.
A guard at the Prime Minister's residence said he was told the guest was Brian Urquhart, the UN undersecre-
tary general for political affairs, but a UN spokesman said that was "very improbable."
Unconfirmed rumors claim the mysterious guest was a Lebanese Christian from Beirut who came to explain
(Continued on Page 5)
Carter Expects Tough Talks
But Israel-Egypt Climate Good
Israelis Increase Vigilance After
Bomb Attempts, London Attack
WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Carter, vacationing in Idaho, was reported as
saying the forthcoming Middle East summit conference "is going to be tough" but that
the climate between Israel and Egypt is now generally good.
The President made the comment when asked for an assessment on the prospects for
success at the meeting opening Sept. 5 at Camp David, the Presidential retreat in the
Maryland mountains. Carter is expected to return from his vacation in ample time for a
full review of Mideast developments prior to the conference's start.
Meanwhile, no U.S. official comments followed Egypt's rejection of Thrael's proposal for
what is described as a "partial permanent peace agreement" between the two countries.
The proposal attributed to Premier Menahem Begin suggests Israel withdraw its troops
to a new line in the eastern Sinai in exchange for some tangible peace terms from Egypt.
TEL AVIV — Increased security measures in advance of the Sept. 5 Camp David
summit conference and the tragic attack on the El Al crew in London on Sunday have
reinforced public vigilance in Israel and led to the discovery and disposal of a number of
terrorist bombs. However, a bomb exploded in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing one
Arab worker and injuring another.
Two bombs were found in the Carmel market last week.
There was an unsuccessful attempt to bomb Ramla's central bus station and two bombs
were found and defused in Jerusalem. The success in thwarting terrorist bombings in Tel
Aviv, Ramla and Jerusalem, in addition to that last week outside the Jaffa Gate in
Jerusalem are the result or increased awareness among Israelis.
In light of such awareness, the recently established Public Committee for Assistance
and Prevention of Terrorist Attacks announced that the finders of the bombs in each of
the incidents will receive a reward of IL 10,000, pending police approval. The rewards are
the organization's first since its establishment a few weeks ago. Committee chairman
Eliezer Shiloni said public response to the committee has been very encouraging and that
it has funds for the rewards.
In Cairo, according to a report circulated to White House personnel, "Egyptian
officials" rejected the proposal saying Egyptian President Anwar Sadat wants
an overall peace settlement that will include the Palestinian issue.
Former Under-Secretary of State Joseph Sisco, in an interview, measured "success" at
Camp David on whether the gap on substantive issues can be narrowed, whether Egypt
and Israel will continue direct talks, and whether President. Carter can ease "the per-
sonal difficulties" between Sadat and Begin. Sadat has said he would not meet again with
(Continued on Page 6)
Ben-Gurion Airport was closed down Saturday night for an hour after an
anonymous caller reported a bomb at the terminal. Police evacuated the building
(Continued on Page 6)