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An Egyptian View of the Linkage-Timetable Issue
By DAVUD LANDAU
_ CAIRO (JTA) — How did
the issue of the linkage-
timetable emerge to bedevil
the Israeli-Egyptian peace
talks just when it seemed
that a treaty was at the
point of conclusion?
Israelis 'have certain
theories as to why President
Anwar Sadat felt obliged at
this time to jack up his de-
mands and is now pressing -
for a specific timetable for
implementation of the
Palestinian autonomy
scheme. They cite the
Baghdad summit meeting
of the rejectionist states at
which Saudi Arabia unex-
pectedly threw its weight
behind the hardliners.
Some Israelis, like former
Foreign Minister Abba .
Eban, are also criticizing
their own government for
rejecting, a month ago, the
loose linkage language in
the preamble of the draft
treaty that it accepted be-
latedly last week.
Egypt's Foreign Minis-
ter, Butros Ghali, told the
Jewish Telegraphic
Agency over the
weekend that the
timetable-linkage issue
was, in fact, discussed at
Camp David and that it
figured in the Blair
House talks in Washing-
ton from their outset
more than .a month ago.
Other Egyptian dip-
lomats in a position to
know affirm with utter
conviction that the timet-
able was not a last-
minute escalation but a
concept that was present
throughout the negotia-
tions.
The Israeli negotiators,
on the other hand, ex-
pressed astonishment when
Egypt raised the issue pub-
licly last month. A timeta-
ble is nowhere mentioned in
the Camp David
frameworks for peace and to
that extent Israel is correct
in branding it. a "deviation"
from Camp David.
But, assuming it was dis-
cussed at Camp David, did
the Israeli negotiators be-
lieve the issue would simply
fade away if they ignored it?
Or perhaps they felt that its
omission from the
Association for Retarded
Opens a Second Residence
.
. The dedication — or
"hanukat habayit" — of the
new Haverim Home for
Jewish retarded adults will
take place at an open house -
1 p.m. Dec. 10 at 24034
Meadowlark, ' Oak Park.
The public is invited.
The second residence to
be opened by the Associa-
tion for the Jewish Re-
tarded, the Meadowlark
home is a five-bedroom,
two-story house in which six
adults have - made their
home since September.
Sharon Alterman,
president of the AJR, said
that friends of the organiza-
tion are welcome to tour the
home. The resident man-
ager, Louise Thompson ; and
officers of the association
will be on hand to answer
any questions about the re-
sidence and the program of
the AJR.
Also present will be the
new resident managers
of the Haverim Home on
Evergreen Road in De-
troit, Mr. and Mrs. Jef-
frey Schreiber; the AJR
executive director, Joyce
Keller; and program di-
rector Lynn Medow.
Overflow parking for
uests at the open house
ill be available nearby, at
est School, Rosewood at
Northfield streets.
ilk
Shaarit Haplaytah
Meeting Planned
Shaarit Haplaytah will
hold a social meeting 8:30
p.m. Saturday in the United
Hebrew Schools main-build-
ing.
Rabbi
Charles H.
Rosenzweig will speak on
"A Political Analysis of the
Post-Camp David Situa-
tion." A nominating com-
mittee will be selected.
Refreshments will be
served, and admission is
free.
The association is com-
prised of relatives of re-
tarded persons, as well as
persons who are concerned
with the needs of retarded
members of the Jewish
community. A primary goal
of the association is to estab-
lish home-like residences,
where retarded citizens
may function as members of
a close-knit family -within a
Jewish environment.
Both Haverim Homes
have kosher kitchens„
and the residents par-
ticipate in a wide variety
of Jewish social and
holiday activities, includ-
ing programs at the
Jewish Community Cen-
ter. They are employed in
workshop settings or
attend school. .
For information or a
brochure about the AJR,
call Joyce Keller, 557-7650.
Organizations also may ar-
range for a speaker by cal-
ling the AJR office.
Jerusalem Buys
Bible Manuscript
JERUSALEM (JTA) —
The Israel Museum pur-
chased a rare manuscript in
the Sassoon Collection for
$430,000 last week, largely
due to the efforts of Mayor
Teddy Kollek. The manu-
script went up for sale at a
public auction in Zurich.
"We have purchased the
most famous Pentateuch of
the Sassoon Collection,"
said Kollek, who led a per-
sonal 48-hour telephone
campaign with Jewish
leaders throughout the
world in order to raise the
money.
The 840-page manuscript
is the "Pentateuch de Cas-
tro," written in Germany in
the late 14th Century.
David Solomon Sassoon
bought it in Amsterdam in
1899.
frameworks, which Egyp t
signed, meant the Egyp
tians were prepared to drop
it.
Cairo says it needs the
timetable in order to coax
the Palestinians_ to the
negotiating table by pro-
ving to them that Israel is
sincere . about autonomy.
The initial negative reac-
tions and suspicions of most
West Bankers to the au-
tonomy scheme was "pre-
dictable," top Egyptian offi-
cials say.
But the Egyptians say,
if they can present a
specific timetable by
which Israel commits it-
self to establish au-
tonomy by a definite
date, this would go a long
way toward allaying the
suspicions. The Palesti-
nians would then be
forced to concede that
Camp David was not just
a cover for a separate
peace with Israel, as the
Arab hardliners allege,
but provided a genuine
opportunity for them to
advance toward political
self-expression.
The Egyptian scenario
appears to sound cogent and
convincing, especially when
it is accompanied by the
knowing assurance that
"just give us the timetable
and leave it to us — we have
the power to institute au-
tonomy against the opposi-
tion of die-hard Palestinian
extremists."
But- Ghali himself is
forced to concede that the
Egyptians believed at Camp
David — as did the U.S. and
the Israelis — that the au-
tonomy scheme could be set
up and functioning within
three months. Top U.S.
policymakers briefed re-
porters to that effect the day
after the Camp David con-
ference ended.
The distinct lack of
enthusiasm displayed on
the West Bank in fact
took Egypt and the U.S.
by surprise. Washington
would not have dis-
patched special Ambas-
sador Alfred L. Atherton,
followed by Assistant
Secretary of State Harold
Saunders, to the West
Bank had it expected so
cool and even hostile a
reception to the Camp
David accords.
But if the three-month
prognosis proved so ill-
founded, does this not augur
badly for the nine-month or
12-month forecast now
made by Egypt in its
linkage-timetable de-
mands? There are two ready
responses given in Cairo to
this question, neither of
them very reassuring from
Israel's standpoint.
The first is that it was Is-
rael's fault that the Camp
David accords were so un-
graciously received on the
West Bank. Premier
Menahem Begin it state-
ments about the future of
that territory and his
squabble with the U.S. over
the duration of the freeze on
settlements had the effect of
reinforcing Palestinian
suspicions which the
"framework for peace" an d in the tactical short term, by mands. At the same time,
the autonomy agreeme nt a reiteration of their tradi- officials here maintain that
might have otherwis e tional fundamentalism.
a linkage-timetable woultt
eased, the Egyptians co n-
In the long run,-however, assuage Saudi misgivings
tend.
an Egyptian official ob- and bring them back behind
The second response is_ served wryly, Baghdad was the Camp David accords. A
that if, despite the timet a- a vindication of the Sadat visitor familiar only from
ble as evidence of the goo d peace initiative. It repre- -afar with inter-Arab state-
intentions of Israel an d sented a recognition by the craft, can only listen, report
Egypt, the West Bank sti 11 Arab world — including its and try to understand.
rejects the autonom y most intransigent elements
scheme, "then we (Egyp - — that a political settle-
tians) shall have done ou ✓ ment is the only feasible
best in our own eyes and th e solution of the Middle East
eyes of the Arab world."
conflict. But, meanwhile,
The rider often at - the Saudis seem to have
tached to this second lin e been influenced more by
of reasoning is that th e hardliners than the
autonomy scheme shoul d hardliners by them.
at least be implemente d
Every Egyptian in an of-
promptly in the Gaz a ficial or semi-official
Strip where Egypt, with - capacity insists that the
out question, has th e Baghdad meeting did not
necessary influence t o trigger a stiffening of
gain its adoption by th e Egypt's negotiating de-
local leadership an
populaCe.
This reasoning is further
recommended for Israeli
consideration by the added
suggestion of some form of
"insurance clause," to be
Bar Mitzva's
Popcorn
formulated by Israel, Egypt
Svieet
16's
Cotton
and the U.S., that would ef-
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fectively prevent the peace
treaty from being prej-
Fund
Caramel
udiced if it proves impossi-
Raising
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ble for objective reasons to
AND
MORE
apply autonomy on the
.'
West Bank.
SPECIALTY SNACK BARS
Sadat'S former spokes '
man, Tahsin Basir, asserted
that "man is not bound by
texts, only by will and. im-
agination." Basir, currently
Egypt's Ambassador to the
Arab League, was seeking
to explain why Israel's fear
of a linkage-timetable was
groundless.
Adding to the complexity
of the linkage-timetable
crisis is the Saudi Arabian
factor, its mystery by no
means elucidated by the
soothing reassurances one
hears from the Egyptians.
Sadat, it is said
"laughed off" the
Baghdad summit. But
other sources say he was
angered and disturbed
by the spectacle of Saudi
Crown Prince -Fand lin-
ing up with the Iraqis and
Syrians in condemnation
of Egypt.
The Iraqis themselves, it
is widely conceded\ here,
dealt Sadat an uncomforta-
ble blow by their relative
moderation at the; summit
meeting. He would have
been better served, at leak
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