Newspaper Page Text
Like day, night
Sadat discusses differences
between Egyptians and Jews
by Carl Alp«rt
HAIFA—Amwt Sadat makes a
good impression in his television
appearances No orator, he
nevertheless comes across well,
and conveys good will and
sincerity. The world accepts him as
a man who can be trusted, this on
the basis of his utterances for
world public opinion.
What does Sadat tell his own
people, for domestic consump
tion? Little attention has been paid
to a wide-ranging interview with
him which appeased not long ago
iiai the Cairo weekly magazine,
October. Without commentary or k
attempts to interpret, I present
translations of portions of that
interview which I have selected.
He was asked how it is possible
to transform those who were
enemies one day, into friends
forever on the next day. In reply he
declared that real friendship u aot
achieved overnight by decisions or
proclamations. It is a long, slow
process. He knows that- some
Israelis are suspicious of Egypt. On
the other hand, there arc Egyptians
who fear that some fine day they
will wake up and discover that
Israeli businessmen have
“conquered" Egypt’s economy.
Those who have such fears, Sadat
said, are still suffering from an
from which
Southetp
Israelite
ruthing' tiuttef* T? Is hot he, it
the Israelis who are pushing hard
for quick normalization. 'They
should not be to nervous nor in so
much of o hurry. It shows they
don’t understand us. We think
differently and react differently.
He tohtofan Israeli journalist who
stood on a bridge over the Nile and
watched the sluggish flow of the
waters beneath. He could detect
motion only by the slow movement
of a floating- pitoa of popes. The
Nile flows very, very slowly, tike
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Sadat
Israeli said he was used to greater
speed; and be found 9m slow pace
in everything terrible. We must
bear in mind that we live in two
different worlds, the Egyptian
president added.
He told of Egyptians who had
visited Isfakl and were
disappointed by the smaRness of
everything. The agricultural
plantations wire tiny, by Egyptian
standards. The distances between
places were insignificant—in
short, two different sets
standards.
Egyptians also found it difficult
to understand what Israel calls its
and doesrrt know what
policy and what is opposition. Are
the Israelis deliberately trying to
confuse everybody? That’s their
way of doing things, Sadat told his
people. It may be difficult for us to
understand, but we must be patient
and tolerant.
Ants Mans our, the editor who
conducted the interview, reminded
Sadat of bis pledge that the
ober War would be the last
one—wo more wars. Then how
See Sadat, page 21
9*
Am
'Day of Remembrance’
The annual observance of Tom Haahoa, the “Day of
Remembrance," will take place Sunday. April IT, at 1:30 p.m. at
the Greenwood Cemetery, 1173 Cascade Ave., S. W. The annual
event, conducted in memory of the six million, who perished during
the Holocaust, will be held at the rite of the Memorial Monument
erected in 1963 by the Eternal Light-Hemshech organization, the
Atlanta survivors group.
Dr. Fred Crawford, director of the Center for Socihi Change at
Emory University, will be the featured speaker. Dr. Crawford is
currently director of the “Witness to the Holocaust” project.
The years 1942 to 1943 witnessed the destruction of European
Jewry. Six million Jewish souls were systematically exterminated,
and a flourishing Jewish community life was totally wiped out
Many yean have passed since that tragic era—yet the Jewish worjd
still remembers. Jews remember both the catastrophe and the
heroism of its victims. Jews remebiber that this year marks the 37th
anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Jews remember
because of the Jewish imperative never to forget—and because, as
Santayana pointed out, a people that forgets its past is doomed to
In order to facilitate transportation, MARTA win he tunning
feeder bus services from the Westlake Stetioa to the cemetery prior
to and following the ceremonies. For further information contact
Atlanta Jewish Federation at (73-1661.
Begin a
by Joeeph Polakoff
WASHINGTON (JTA)—With ,
the dates announced by the White
House for the separate summit
meetings President Carter will’
hold in April, first with Egyptian
President Anwar Sadat and a week
with Prime Minister Menachcm
Begin, both the mood and
expectations attendant to thevtaHcs
are undergoing scrutiny.
Sadat will arrive in Washington
April 7 for three days, riding his i
already well-established high
plateau of popularity with
Americans at the new giant of pro-
American influence in the Middle
East, a reputation enhanced by his
taking the former Shah of ban out
of U.S. accountability. Ap on
previous visits, Sadat is hooked for
a National Press Chib appearance
on the last day of his visit, April 10.
Begin will be here April 13-16
with his prestige in the U.S. at
possibly the lowest ever assessed
for an Israeli leader. One cause is
the flood of adverse publicity
launched against Jewish presence
on the West Bank, which is
irrelevant to the Camp David
accords. Another cause is his
refusal -to bend any further
toward* Egypt’s demands which be
repeatedly bus said are outside
those accords. He conveyed this
position to special American
Ambassador. Sol liaomite last
week but it has scarcely been
noticed hers.
During the past week. Begin has
coma under increasingly harsh
attacks from both the right aad the
left among media pundits, who
have concentrated on “settle
ments.” Although “settlements”
are not mentioned in oilier foe
Camp David accords or Egyptka-
Israeli peScC agreement, they have
become a- principal “obstacle to
pease”—in Caster Administration
terminology—that it holding up
agreement for West Bahk-Gaza
Strip autonomy.
On the autonomy tafle*, Egypt
and Israel are far Spin. It has
become dear the U.S. has
increased its Support for the
Egyptian position. That this
stalemate is not expected to he
broken in the April talk* is already
anticipated by Sadat, who said m
Ckiro last Friday he would take
part in a three-way summit with
both Carter aad Begin.
In hisaddreis on the anniversary
of the Egyptian-brash treaty, a
week ago. Carter spoke of
observing “thebttar and theepwit”
of the Camp David accords. Some
of those present interpreted that
remark as subtle criticism of the
Israeli government policy of
establishing an Israeli dvitipn
presence in Judaea and Samaria.
•cud
have broken the
Camp David accords both in letter
and spirit. They note font no
criticism has arisen over the
Egyptian icy treatment of the first
Israeli representatives hi Cairo,
including Israel’s. Ambassador
Eliahu Ben-Elissar. Apart
from diplomatic formalities,
Egyptians are boycotting social
events that include Israeli officials.
White the Camp David accords
call for an "administrative
council," for foe Wfcst Bank aad
Gaza, to conduct local government
affairs white Israel controls
external security aad foreign
affairs, the Btyptianj want a
“legislative council” that b seen aa
a prescription for a Palestinian
state. In addition, the accords
specifically exclude Jerusalem, but
Egypt insists on East Jmutalrm
being included is the West Bank
elections. Egypt proposes n
committee to provide security
guarantees for brad but the
aocords call for Israeli mjiHry
units to he in specified areas. Thus,
Egypt goes beyond the Camp
David accords, pro-Israeli
“Unless Egypt complies with the
accords, there is do hope for
prognhs,” one Observer noted
“The purpose of the Washington
' talks is to break this deadlock. The
question is whether Sadat is
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See Summits, pane 21