Documents / FOIA release

FBIS Coverage of the Middle East Peace Talks: 1977 December

Central Intelligence Agency · 65 pages · text from the file's own layer

This is a Central Intelligence Agency release of Foreign Broadcast Information Service coverage of the Middle East peace talks from December 1977. It collects British, Israeli and Soviet press and radio items on President as-Sadat's initiative and the planned Cairo conference. It also covers Prime Minister Begin's visit to London, Secretary of State Vance's regional tour and the Knesset debate on the peace plan. It contains no material on unidentified aerial phenomena.

  • p. 6 …The secretary of state will probably want to check the price of Syrian cooperation. The Americans…
  • p. 33 …will not be able to undermine government cooperation in the determination of political moves. CONSULTATIONS BEGIN…
  • p. 36 …cradle of civilization? Are youin favor of cooperation in science, education, agriculture, industry trade and culturalexchanges…
  • p. 41 …human civilization, and it may turn, through cooperation and development, as his majesty the king of…
  • p. 65 …HOWEVER., THIS WAS SAID BEFORETHOFIALTAEETFTEJORDANIAN GOVERNMIENT WHICH FRANKLYHREJECTEDATHE IDEAEOF COOPERATING "IN THE SO-CALLED SETTLEM'ENT…
PPROVED FOR RELEASE CIA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS DIVISION AR 70-14 13NOV201 -
V. 13 Dec 77 N 6 ISRAEL
YEDI'OT AHARONOT ON TENSION AMONG ISRAELI LEADERS
TA111415Y Tel Aviv YEDI'OT AHARONOT in Hebrew 11 Dec 77 pp 1, 8 TA
(Text] There has recently been tension in the government between the foreign minister
and several other ministers. At the same time, it is believed in the coalition that
these tensions are marginal and it is natural that these be felt among people with
strong personalities, such as the leaders of the present government.
The tensions that have recently been in evidence concern:
--The relations between the foreign minister and the minister of defense. Minister
'Ezer Weizman is very active in the political deliberations within the government and is
in on the inner consultations. Dayan would prefer the issue [presumably of peace
negotiations] to revolve more around him as the person responsible for the Foreign
Ministry. In view of this, there is a certain tension between Weizman and Dayan.
--The appointment of the director general of the prime minister's office, Dr Eliyahu
Ben-Elissar, to head the Israeli delegation to the Cairo conference. This has caused
dissatisfaction in the Foreign Ministry. Even though Dayan agreed to the appointment,
there is a feeling in the ministry that this appointment reduces the role of the
Foreign Ministry in these contacts.
--The appointment of MaJ Gen Avraham Tamir as the IDF representative on the delegation
to the Cairo conference. Dayan did not agree with this appointment. On the other
hand, it is 'Ezer Weizman's opinion that this appointment is the best that the IDF
could make for the Israeli delegation. The defense minister stresses that Tamir heads
the planning department in general headquarters and has just headed the team that
prepared the alternative military plans for the border problem on all fronts with a
view toward the negotiations with the Arabs.
--Criticism in the government of the way the Foreign Ministry is running the overseas
information campaign in the wake of the As-Sadat visit. The critics maintain that
the Israeli information effort has created an impression in the world that Israel is
following Egypt while, in fact, Israel initiated several political moves that made
the As-Sadat visit possible.
The "black cat" apparently walked between Dayan and the director general of his ministry, "
Efrayim 'Evron. Begin had proposed to Dayan that the Israeli delegation to the Cairo
conference consist of the director generals of the prime minister's office and of
the Foreign Ministry, but Dayan opposed 'Evron's appointment.
One of the reasons for the tension in relations between Dayan and 'Evron is the fact
that the director general of the Foreign Ministry has taken positions differing from
Dayan's on certain issues.
Despite all this, coalition circles .maintain that these tensions will not be able to
undermine government cooperation in the determination of political moves.
CONSULTATIONS BEGIN ON CONTENTS OF PEACE SETTLEMENTS
TA130831Y Tel Aviv HA'AREZ in Hebrew 13 Dec 77 p 1 TA
[By 'Uzzi Benziman) -
[Excerpt] Consultations on the contents of the possible settlement with Egypt, which may
also include the future of the West Bank, will begin in Jerusalem today in a closed
framework and on the most senior cabinet level.
tI

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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 65 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.