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Peres Is Critical
Of U.S. Protests
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Jerusalem (JTA) — After more
than four days of turbulent
demonstrations by Israeli settlers
— and supportive protests in
New York City — Foreign Min-
ister Shimon Peres was exas-
perated.
He lambasted both the settlers
and their American Jewish sup-
porters.
"I don't understand American
Jews. They want to sit in Brook-
lyn and defend Hebron and
Shechem from there?" Mr. Peres
said at a meeting in Jerusalem
with Jewish journalists. The
meeting took place on the day
settlers declared a temporary
halt to their protests until the
end of the Tisha B'Av fast.
The settler demonstrations
dominated Israeli headlines dur-
ing a week marked by daily con-
frontations between Israeli
security forces and the settlers.
In a massive display of civil
disobedience, settlers occupied
one West Bank hillside after an-
other to underscore their unwa-
vering opposition to any
extension of Palestinian self-rule
in the West Bank.
Israeli security forces, given
stern orders by Prime Minister
Yitzhak Rabin to protect the rule
of law, removed the settlers from
the hillsides, detaining hundreds
of them in jails.
Some of the settlers compared
their protests to the Palestinian
uprising, the intifada. Similar
rhetoric was used in the New
York solidarity protests.
Asked about the New York
demonstrators' threat to launch
an intifada in New York, Mr.
Peres brushed it aside with a
smile.
"They can start an intifada
there, and let the American au-
thorities deal with it," he said.
But Mr. Peres became more
grim when discussing the demon-
strators in Israel.
"They are a group of people
who are undermining the demo-
cratic system and the rule of law," .
Mr. Peres said. "This government
is not only defending its own poli-
cies, but the very rule of law and
the democratic nature of Israel."
He accused the settlers of "at-
tempting to establish an alter-
native government."
Mr. Peres said the government
was open to dialogue with the
settlers and that whenever they
wanted to meet with Mr. Rabin
or him they would receive a pos-
itive response.
"But they don't want a dia-
logue," he added. "They say, 'In
order to preserve the unity of our
people, you must do as we say.'
This is not democracy."
The foreign minster also con-
demned settlers who were
putting their children in the front
lines during the clashes with se-
curity forces.
"It's a terrible thing, bringing
their children to the hills. To con-
front children with soldiers is
scandalous," Mr. Peres said. "It's
unfair to the children, and it's un-
fair to the soldiers. A 5-year-old
child cannot understand what
this is all about."
Argentine-Syria
Sale Discussed
Buenos Aires (JTA) — Israeli
and Argentine officials will meet
in Washington to discuss the
sale of Argentine nuclear tech-
nology to Syria.
Argentine Foreign Minister
Guido di Tella said the meeting,
scheduled for Aug. 11, is a way
of "reassuring Israel about Ar-
gentine-Syrian projects in this
sensitive field.'
The meeting comes in the
wake of Mr. di Tella's recent vis-
it to Israel, during which he in-
dicated that his country would
not proceed with the sale if Is-
rael objects. Subsequently, the
Argentine government declared
its intention to continue the ne-
gotiations with Damascus and
suggested that the United
States was not opposed to the
proposed sale.
"The sale of this reactor has
not been criticized by Washing-
ton," said Fernando Petrella, Ar-
gentine deputy foreign minister.
Argentina called for the meet-
ing in Washington as a way of
reassuring Jerusalem and of in-
volving the United States in the
matter. U.S. officials are ex-
pected to participate in the
meeting.
Argentina is likely to assert
at the meeting that Syria, un-
like Israel, signed the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty, plac-
ing all nuclear facilities under
international inspection.
Mr. Petrella said negotiations
with Syria would be suspend-
ed "if they disrupt in any way
peace negotiations in the Mid-
dle East."
In addition, Argentina will de-
mand that Syria sign a formal
compromise of not using "any
technology to develop an atom-
ic bomb," he said.
Argentine officials also have
confirmed that they will meet
with Syrian diplomats on Aug.
21 in Buenos Aires to discuss
further the sale of a nuclear re- c \
actor.