Newspaper Page Text
A visit with
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by Jack Cridbart
Jewish journalists in Morocco?
Seems an unlikely combination but it happened and
for eight hectic days I recently toured the country with
II other Jewish newsmen. We were invited by the
Moroccan government to explore Morocco and also
to visit Jewish communities.
There will be more in coming weeks about the trip
but one particularly exciting aspect was a meeting
with Moroccan Prime Minister Ahmed Osman. We
found him to be extremely friendly and very hopeful
that the talks in Cairo might be fruitful. But he gave us
an inkling of problems to cqme when he chillingly
insisted that “the Arab position is that the PLO is the
representative of the Palestinians.”
Although Morocco has played an important role in
moving toward peace in the Middle East, Osman
firmly reiterated the standard Arab line that “Begin’s
position should be return of the 1967 territories and
recognition of a Palestinian state.” He was firm on this
point, mentioning more than once that ”a minimum
concession from the Israelis would be a return of all
territories."
He did say, however, that should peace come,
Morocco would be willing to fully recognize Israel,
including an exchange of ambassadors and "full
diplomatic recognition.” This is an important point.
Morocco’s Prime Minister
since full recognition of Israel, even after a peace
treaty, has not always been, acceptable to the Arab
countries. Morocco has apparently now joined with
Sadat’s new line that Israel doss have a right to exist
and that a “normal" relationship is possible.
Osman indicated that the Arabs were “waiting for a
move from the Israeli side,” which is perhaps the key
reason that Sadat and Begin’t recent meeting in
Ismailia was not successful. The Prime Minister
stressed that the timing of Sadat’s visit was a surprise
to the Arab world—even for Morocco, which has
been heavily involved injecret negotiations to bring
about a rapprochement with Israel. But he stressed
that the next move was now up to Begin and that
Sadat’s visit was "concession enough on the Arab
part.”
He also repeated the oft-beard Arab theory that
perhaps Israel cannot really afford a true peace.
“Some analysts,” he said, “feel that Israel cannot
have peace and maintain their present way of life.
There is some thought that a state of war hides some
interna] difficulties for Israel.”
He smiled and puffed reflectively on a long, thin
cigar as he said this and, there was the distinct
impression that he did not seriously believe the theory.
Osman was then asked whether Israelis could now
See Prime Minister, page 18.
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The Southern
Israelite
The Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry
Ot«r,Mth Year
VOL. LI
NO
uu
Atlanta, Ga., Friday, December 30, 1977
Saudi buyer of NBG
wants Jewish business
Reaction of Atlanta's Jewish community to the proposed
transfer of control of the National Bank of Georgia to the hands of
Saudi Arabian entrepreneur Ghaith Pharaon was obviously of
some concern to both the present bank management and Pharaon
himself.
The Saudi Arabian investor made a point this week of
attempting to assure the Jewish community that the takeover
would not change the policies or the ways of doing business of the
bank. A story in the Atlanta Journal quoted Pharaon as saying
“We would welcome the Jewish community in this country doing
business with us, because it is only by closer understanding and
cOmmutfteation that we can solve much of our dlfTHWieetrand-
proMsms." — «•» •». «m». • *.. • I i ml uafcjwm
Pharaon indicated that he hopes to have contact with prominent
Jewish leaden and an exchange of “concerns.”
Earlier, NBG President Robert Guyton had expressed concern
about the bank's Jewish customers but said, “By and large, the
reaction has been favorable.”
Pharaon was also quoted by the Atlanta Journal as saying “We
are restricted now from doing business with Israel by the
Palestinian and boycott problems. But once these are lifted, 1 don’t
see any reason why I shouldn’t be dealing with Israel.”
Saving Torahs in Morocco
See story page 4.
between Israel and Egypt on the
Palestinian question has
apparently not been narrowed as a
summit, and
Anwar Sadat
and Premier Menachem Begin
pledged here Monday to continue
with the peace momentum, there
was a feeling of tome let down
among observers at the failure to
make progress on this funda
mental issup.
The failure was particularly
accentuated when it became clear
at the start of the two leaders* joint
press conference Monday that they
had not been able to formulate a
joint statement of intent or
declaration of principles as had
earlier been hoped and expected.
Instead, Sadat read a prepared
statement, to which Begin added
his verbal concurrence, reporting
“progress” on the “question of the
withdrawal” (apparently meaning
Sinai withdrawal), adding: “But on
the Palestinian question, which we
consider the core and crux of the
conflict, the Egyptian and Israeli
delegations discussed the
Palestinian problem...The
position of Egypt is that on the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip a
Palestinian state should be
established.
“The position of Israel is that
Palestinian Arabs"—here Sadat
paused for some 10 seconds—“of
Judee (sic) Samaria and the Gaza
Strip should ertjoy self-rule. We
have agreed that—because we
have differed on this issue—the
ijjjue will be discussed in the
political committee of the Cairo
preparatory conference.”
The “political committee," to be
beaded by the two foreign
ministers, is one of two committees
which Sadat and Begin agreed to
set up to continue their peace
efforts. It will convene early in
January in Jerusalem, the two
leaders explained, and the United
States and United Nations will be
invited to participate—as they
have participated until now in the
Cairo conference itself.
Sadat said the “political" and
“military" committees would
“work in the context of the Cairo
conference" and report back on
their decisions to the plenary of
that conference
The military committee, under
the two defense ministers, will
meet, apparently simultaneously,
in Cairo—but here, Sadat
explained, only the two sides will
participate, not third parties. This
seemed to mean that the military
committee will confine itself
exclusively to the security and
territorial issues pertinent to the
Sinai.
Both leaders took pains to put
the best imprint possible on the
results of their summit and on the
future prospects of the
negotiations. “I do not think there
is any gap that cannot be bridged,"
Sadat declared in response to a
question on the difference over the
West Bank. Begin asserted that the
Ismailia summit had been
See Peace, page 18.
