I ANALYSIS I

The Most Exciting
Event of the Year!

The Jewish National Fund Council
cordially invites you to attend our

RECLAIMING
OUR
MELAND

17th Annual Auction

H

to be held

Sunday, September 17, 1989
Temple Beth El

7400 Telegraph Road - Birmingham
when we bestow upon

Sherman and Mary Shapiro ...

You will have an opportunity to participate in our best Auction
ever with hundreds of items to include:
• 1990 Chevrolet Lumina (supplied by Dexter Chevrolet)
• Round trip to Israel for two
• Originals by Ray Frost Fleming and Alexander Dobkin
• Tigers Fantasy Camp • Restaurant & merchandise gift certificates
• Gold & diamond jewelry • Small appliances • Shopping sprees
• Beauty services • Furs • Enchanted weekends • Designer handbags

Blue Light Auction - 6:30 p.m.
Live Auction - 8:15
Donation: Purchase of one tree ($7.00)
Sweet Table
Auctioneer : Richard Nucian

For Further Information and tickets,
Call Jewish National Fund, 557-6644

62

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 1989

Meanwhile, Shamir
Hangs Tough

HELEN DAVIS

•Foreign Correspondent

I

sraeli Prime Minister
Yitzhak Shamir this
week pledged to continue
his contacts with Palestinians
in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip, but he strongly implied
that if they wanted to realize
their national aspirations
they should re-settle in ex-
isting Arab countries.
In a wide-ranging — and
highly revealing — interview
with the Hebrew-language
daily Ha'aretz, Shamir was
asked, "as a former freedom
fighter and terrorist,"
whether he perceived the
Palestinian struggle in terms
of national liberation.
"I do not regard the Palesti-
nians as freedom fighters," he
replied. "They are part of the
Arab people and we must not
forget this.
"The Arab people have 21
countries where every Arab
can live a full national life.
We have only one small land.
If we want to be independent
and to live our own lives, we
have no possibility and no
other place but Eretz Yisrael.
"Nor must we forget that
the conflict with the Arab
world is only over a part of
Eretz Yisrael. The greater
part of Eretz Yisrael is today
an Arab country [Jordan].
The conflict is only over
western Eretz Yisrael.
"This bears no resemblance
to the case of the British, who
came from England and rul-
ed over India and Eretz
Yisrael. The Palestinians are
a part of the Arab people. This
is not their war of liberation
and we are not conquerors."
At the same time, he said he
would continue his contacts
with Palestinians aimed at
advancing the peace in-
itiative, "as I have done in the
past." What bothered some of
his Likud Party colleagues
was the decision that he
should "conduct negotiations
for implementing the in-
itiative."
He pointed out, however,
that he was not conducting
"official negotiations at an
advanced stage," but rather
"preliminary talks for the
purpose of exploration and
clarification."
"The.se talks are intended
to create an understanding of
the situation and [allow the
two sides] to become better ac-
quainted. This is what must
be done — and this is what I
will, in fact, do."
But he firmly denied the
implication by Assistant

Yitzhak Shamir:
Who's excited?

Secretary of State John Kel-
ly that Israel was maintain-
ing contacts with the PLO:
"The media made a mistake,"
said Shamir. "There are
stories about all kinds of
unofficial contacts and rela-
tions, but he [Kelly] knows
nothing of official contacts."

Asked whether Israel does,
in fact, maintain unofficial
and indirect contacts with the
PLO, Shamir replied: "There
are no indirect contacts.
These are foolish stories.
"The United States is talk-
ing to the PLO and Israel is
talking to the United States.
This does not mean that con-
tacts are being maintained
between Israel and the PLO.
Do we have to cease our con-
tacts with the U.S.?"
On the United States disen-
chantment — and the critical
remarks emanating from
Washington — over the hard
line taken by the Likud Cen-
tral Committee regarding the
peace initiative, Shamir said
he did not feel "obligated to
react to everything that is
published — I am obligated to
comment only on the basis of
the needs and of the good of
the country."
"For example, quite a few
times I expressed sharp op-
position to the contacts the
U.S. is maintaining with the
PLO. It did not change
anything. I am sure that
these contacts harm the
peace initiative and greatly
limit the chances for its suc-
cess. I say this again and
again, and I do not hear any
responses from the U.S.
"From the lack of response
I can only conclude that there
is a decision in the U.S. to con-
tinue talks with the PLO.
Therefore, I do not have to res-
pond today to what they are
saying about my remarks at