THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, December 27, 1985

NEWS

Israel Politics Threaten
Taba Issue Resolution

Jerusalem (JTA) — Israeli-
Egyptian negotiations to settle
their border dispute over Taba
were unexpectedly put on hold
last week as Premier Shimon
Peres sought to ease tensions
within his own party after Ezer
Weizman publicly criticized the
government for dragging out the
talks with Egypt.
Minister-
a
Weizman,
Without-Portfolio, heads the
Yahad Party which is closely
aligned with Peres' Labor Party
and is expected to enter into
merger talks with it next year. He
said that since a draft compromise
over how to deal with the Taba
dispute was reached by the Israeli
and Egyptian negotiating teams
at Herzliya two weeks ago. It
should be placed before the
Cabinet without further ado.
Weizman expressed his views a
day after Peres and Foreign
Minister Yitzhak Shamir, leader
of Likud, agreed that the two top
Israeli negotiators would go to
Cairo this week for another round
of talks with the Egyptians. Pre-

sumably the two sides were to

draft a paper enumerating the
areas of agreement reached so far.

But Weizman insisted that was
unnecessary and counterproduc-
tive. According to a television

news report, Gen. Avraham
Tamis, one of the two chief
negotiators, informed Peres that
he was not prepared to go to Cairo
to continue the talks. Tamir is Di-
rector General of the Prime
Minister's office. He is also a close
political ally of Weizman.
If Tamir refuses Peres' instruc-
tions he could hardly remain in
office and Yahad would
doubtlessly withdraw from the
Labor-Likud unity coalition gov-
ernment. The other chief
negotiator for Israel is David
Kimche, Director General of the
Foreign Ministry who is account-
able to Shamir.
The Taba talks have been com-
plicated from the outset by sharp
differences between Labor and
Likud. Peres has been willing to
accede to Egypt's demand that the
dispute be put to binding arbitra-
tion. Shamir insists on concilia-
tion. The issue was put before the
Inner Cabinet (five labor and five
Likud ministers) a month ago and
the result was a deadlock along
party lines.
Peres is loathe to bring it before
the Inner Cabinet again until he
can persuade one or two Likud
ministers to his point of view. The
alternative would be to break up
the Labor-Likud coalition.
But Weizman believes there is
nothing more to talk about with
the Eyptians. Peres himself has ,
said that impressive progress was
made at the Herzliya talks.
Shamir disagreed sharply. While
no details have been released, it is
reported that the two sides agreed
to a form of binding conciliation
without using the word "concilia-
tion" to which the Egyptians ob-
ject.
According to informed sources,
the border dispute would be put to
arbitration but the arbitrators
would be asked to consider a
"middle point" between the Is-
raeli and Egyptian claims rather

67

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Ezer Weizman

than decide fully in favor of one or
the other.
The arbitrators would be one Is-
raeli, one Egyptian and a third
party selected by the other two.
Peres and his Labor associates be-
lieve Israel's claim is sufficiently

strong to risk arbitration and that
once the Taba dispute is settled,
overall relations with Egypt will
improve significantly and the
stalled process of normalization of
relations can be resumed. Cairo

has hinted strongly that this in-
deed would be the case.
Although Weizman and Tamir
want Peres to force a showdown
with Likud, the Premier appears
resolved to send the Israeli
negotiators to Cairo to put on
paper the previously arrived at
procedure for resolving the dis-
pute.

967-HELP

Monday-Friday
9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Birth Trends
To Continue

Jerusalem (JTA) — The Arab
birth rate in Israel and the ad-
ministered territories exceeds
that of Jews, according to figures
released last Tuesday by the
Central Bureau of Statistics.
Last year there were 78,600
births among the Arab population
compared to 74,500 Jewish births.
About 24,000 of the Arabs were
horn in Israel proper and 30,400
in the West Bank. The balance of
Arab births was in the Gaza Strip.
Demographic experts expect
this trend to continue. Last year
3,472,000 Jews made their home
in Israel or the territories com-
pared to two million Arabs under
Israeli jurisdiction.

Cardinal Cited

Jerusalem (JTA) — Roger Car-
dinal Etchegaray, president of the
Pontifical Commission for Justice
and Peace at the Vatican, has
been presented with the first
Ladislaus Laszt International
Ecumenical Award for his con-
tribution to "mutual understand-
ing between religions."
The visit by a Cardinal to Is-
rael, a rare occurence, raised
speculation that ties between Is-
rael and the Vatican may soon be
improved.

In cooperation with these
Jewish Welfare Federation member agencies:

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Fresh Air Society
Hebrew Free Loan Association
Jewish Community Center
Jewish Community Council
Jewish Family Service
Jewish Federation Apartments
Jewish Home for Aged
Jewish Vocational Service
and Community Workshop
Midrasha—College of Jewish Studies
Resettlement Service
Sinai Hospital
United Hebrew Schools

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