FBIS Coverage of the Middle East Peace Talks- 1978 September

PPROVED FOR RELEASE CIA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS DIVISION AR 70-14 NOV20-13
V. 29 Sep 78 N 16
Then he raised his left hand: With this hand I must vote against peace, and I can in
way do so. Therefore I am abstaining: Then I asked him: Suppose you persuade all the
members of the Knesset, then how would the Knesset decide? Then he said that the people
would accept any decision made by the Knesset. How-would they accept it?
[Unidentified MK] But they have been doing so all these years, Mr Prime Minister, it is a
profession.
[Begin] I ask you, it is too late--or early--to stop my *cords with interjections.
Then the foreign minister said something very nice which he will allow me to quote. After
Yehuda Ben Merirrs speech he said: The righteous should live by his abstention. [laughter]
I have also saved the world, begause I quoted something and named its speaker. [reference
is to the traditional saying that whoever quotes something in the name of the one who said
it brings salvation upon the world.]
Abstention, my dear friends--I am addressing youin the presence of opponents--what is the
meaning of abstention or voting against? This means that today., when you have four members
in this movement of which I have been a member since, almost, the time when I was born, and
in which I serve as the chairman, what is the meaning of the abstention? rEzer Weizman,
Arirel Sharon, Begin should do the job and decide on the removal of the settlements while
every abstainee will say that he has saved his soul, has not lent a hand to this, it being
a Job he is not prepared to do and is prepared to let the others do, and me, too. Is this
appropriate? Decide for yourselves, and after having heard what you heard from me--vote as
you wish. [laughter]
I should like to say something, with all due respect, to the main opposition. I respect
the opposition; I have always respected it. How could 1 not-respect the opposition,
opposition having almost turned into a profes$ion of mine? I once heard a Joke that a man
was given a salary to call:Begin to power. jIe was asked: How much are you getting? He
said: It is small, but it is for life. [laughter] I have heard even this about myself!
Then I should not respect an opposition!
I wish to ask you, my honorable friends and opponents, how can it be--I have heard MK Yizhaq
Rabin analyzing the agreement, and saying that there were difficult things, there are future
risks, but the state of aff=irs is positive,- This I understand. He says that despite the
dangers and the difficulties I shall vote in favor. However, I heard another speech, made
by Mr Shahal. He did rot leave one stone in its place with respect to this plan. I beg ~
pardon from the Knesset member...I did not mean this, I really didn't. I meant the actual.
stone. [laughter} He did not leave one stone in its place. At the end I did not even
understand what he was saying. This is the truth. I did not understand his sentences. Later
he finished by saying: So I have no choice, and I will vote for.
God almighty, ladies and gentlement, such a duplicity When-we have a peace treaty, the
Israeli Army remains in Judaea and Samaria guarding the people of Israel, the Suez Canal
is--this time definitely--open for Israeli flag ships, the Straits of Tiran are declared to
be an international-route open to all, there is a demilitarized zone in the Sinai and another
zone where the military presence is thinned out, airfields will be built, a real peace
treaty. [two Knesset members leave the hall] What happened to my two friends that all of
- a sudden they started walking about like this? [laughter -