Newspaper Page Text
I'ace 5 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE January 31, 1975
Israel Scholar-in-Residence
Optimistic About Mideast Peace
by STEVE KOPPMAN
Widespread fears that another
Mideast war is inevitable and that
Israel's national viability is in
question are unjustified, Dan Pal-
tir, president of Israel's Federation
of Journalists, told Atlanta
audiences last week.
Pattir is expected to join the
Israeli government next month as
the prime minister’s assistant for
public relations, press and inter-
party relations. Currently he is a
radio news commentator and
political editor of the Histadrut
labor federation’s morning daily
"Davar." Pattir was on a ten-day
visit to Atlanta under the auspices
of the Jewish Welfare Federation
here.
In an interview, Pattir dismissed
much of the current speculation
about the Middle East as
"irrelevant" and “out of context."
"The danger of war is not im
minent," Pattir said “I'm not say
ing it’s rosy all around, but people
have drawn the wrong conclusion,
as if the outlook were bleak”
Pattir said he believed Egypt is
likely to negotiate a peace agree
ment with Israel without requiring
simultaneous agreements with the
PLO or Syria. Such an agreement,
Pattir said, would involve phased
Israeli pullbacks on the Sinai in
return for political concessions
from Egypt.
In order for Israel to negotiate
TEL AVIV, (JTA) — Soviet
naval vessels occupied with
minesweeping in the Gulf of Suez
have completed their work and
have left the area, it was reported
here. The operation was com
manded from the Soviet helicopter
carrier Leningrad which reported
ly left before the minesweepers.
According to Israeli sources, the
Russian Mediterranean fleet now
numbers about 50 vessels,
with the PLO, Pattir said, that
coalition would have to retract its
support for the 'Palestinian Cove-
settlements in 1947-48 were com
parable to PLO activities, saying
"the Israelis were not fighting to
nanf calling for Israel’s destryu eliminate the Arabs as an entity or
tion, abandon terrorist methods, a nation.”
and recognize Israel. At that point, Concerning his prospective new
he said, "it would no longer be the job as Israel’s ‘voice,’ Pattir said
PLO.” But in any case, he said, the -
presence of large Palestinian pop
ulations on both sides of the Jor
dan River, along with the absence
of unified Palestinian leadership,
means that “in practical terms, the
Palestinian situation should be
dealt with through the political
leadership of Jordan."
Pattir said his optimism on the
chances for averting war is based
on Israel’s current state of military
preparedness, division among
Arab states on the war question —
punctuated by an Egyptian
willingness to talk with Israel, and
the American influence in the area.
Continuing American arms
shipments are imperative, Pattir
said, without which Israel's posi
tion would suffer and the danger of
war thus increase. Pattir said he
trusts in a continuing American
view that its national interest lies
in supporting Israel. He viewed
this in terms of an American need
to maintain friendly states in the
area and prevent hostile regimes
arising which might try to deprive
U. S. allies of oil, and in terms of
America’s global position, in
maintaining a counterbalance to
Soviet involvement in the area.
The hardest issue to negotiate,
Pattir said, is the fate of East
Jerusalem. No Israeli government
will permit Jerusalem to be divided
again, he said, but arrangements
might be made for Arab civil ad
ministration of the old city, and for
the holy places to be placed under
the jurisdictions of the respective
religious leaderships.
In response to questions asked
of him in Atlanta, Pattir denied
that Irgun attacks on Arab
“there are no circumstances when
it is necessary to lie,” but “one
should not go into a strip-tease,
and strip off everything." Pattir
declined to give an opinion on
whether Israel’s official
statements at the outbreak of the
1967 war claiming Egypt had
begun the fighting were lies.
Reviewing the Israeli political
picture, Pattir saw some con
vergence between the governing
Labor party and the Likud opposi
tion, both on domestic issues and
Arab relations — except on the
disposition of the West Bank. Pat
tir said the Likud is “becoming
more social democratic”, and
would probably approve
agreements returning most of the
Sinai in return for Egyptian con
cessions. Reflecting on the social
democratic ideology of the Labor
party, Pattir said the "visions" of a
socialist Jewish state have met
with the “realities of life” and that
out of this, “compromise has been
applied.”
AJC Interviewing Nazi Survivors
For New Oral History Library
MILTON E. KRENTS (rl discusses the William E.
Wiener Oral History Library project of the American
Jewish Committee with WSB Radio's general manager
Elmo Ellis (seated left I and newsman Peter Maer, one
of the project’s interviewers.
HAVE SAMPLES 1
WILL TRAVEL y*"
T\ow v ou - C8l>\. or «\e<jant perm».n*»vT
t ress linens in "the. cons-fort of \/ou.r home
_et mfc help ^ou. select the riqht sixe
end color for you.r ta.ble. . .. "3ust o. port
of my personal service.
Bernice, ftrooxlufene.
35-/-*4Vy
Insurance:
— Life
— Health
— Group
— Auto
— Fire
— Commercial
Norman Raab
Phone 658-9944 - 636 8881
2520 First Nat’l Bank Tower, Atlanta, Ga.
Atlanta is among the cities
chosen by the American Jewish
Committee for inclusion in its ex
tensive William E. Wiener Oral
History Library.
The project will study the
American experience of ap
proximately 250 survivors of the
Nazi Holocaust in major cities
across the United States. It is sup
ported by a grant from the
National Endowment for the
Humanities. The in-depth inter
views will deal mainly with the
story of the survivors after their
arrival in this country. For pur
poses of the library, the holocaust
period runs from 1933 through the
end of World War II.
Milton E. Krents, executive
producer of the NBC “Eternal
Light” series is director of the
William E. Wiener Oral History
Library . He was recently in Atlan
ta to confer with the four Atlanta
persons conducting the tape
recorded interviews. The local in
terviewers are Robert Evans,,
television film producer and
former CBS bureau chief in
Moscow; Mrs. Janice Rothschild,
free-lance writer and Jewish
historian; Vida (joldgar, The
Southern Israelite's associate
editor and WSB Radio newsman
Peter Maer.
Approximately 20 of the inter
views will be conducted in Atlanta
in forthcoming weeks
Krents said, "The story of what
happened in America to those who
survived one of the most
devastating experiences in history,
will form a vital contribution to
future scholars and historians."
Also included in the William
Wiener Oral History Library are
taped interviews with more than
I(X) outstanding individuals whose
lives relate to the American Jewish
Community. Some of these are
Adolph Zukor, father of the movie
industry; Roberta Peters of the
Metropolitan Opera; Paddy
Chayevsky, author and
playwright; Nobel Prize winning
physicist Dr. I. I Rabi; concert
violinist Isaac Stern and other well
known figures.
PLANS for AJC's Oral History Library are dis
cussed with Lee Furman (I), AJC liaison between in
terviewers and New York headquarters, by TSI's Vida
Coldgar and Bob Evans, interviewers. Mrs. Janice
Rothschild was unable to be present for photos.
Information on the project can
be had by contacting one of the in
terviewers or Miss Lee Furman,
352-2340, of the Atlanta staff,
American Jewish Committee.
•CLIP AND SAVE
HOME NURSING CARE
When you need — a Nurse, Nurses Aide, or Companion
AT REASONABLE RATES
Call Day or Night 876-1576
Quality Care
"Serving all
of A llama"
CLIP AND SAVE .
HIRE THE HANDICAPPED
In our shop. Subcontract work at vary competitive rates
BOBBY DODD R& I CENTER
1100 Sylvan Rd„ S. W„ AlUnta, Ga. 30310
753-4163
Packaging
Assembly work
Heat sealing
Electronic assembly
Pallets, etc.
OFFICE SUPPLY CO. 875-7271
QUICK COPY PRICE LIST
100 Copies $3.60
500 C opies $8.10
1,000 Copies $11.70
Free Pick Up & Delivery
„ A Furniture
Ottice Supplies 9 Sal0s & Ren(gls
1869 Piedmont Rd. N.E., Atlanta, Gs. 30324