M I D D L E E A G T : A D V A N C E C O P I E S IMMEDfATt! PS \

MM'..;/.,r<( I . G 1 L H O U K NO'" 10 i t e u m ! (.?) S/J . i - tlUHD CABINET OFFICE, SIR J HUNT P S / P U S

H A rARSONS CABINET OFFICE DIO ^ J C IIOBERLY

(Alt 0^(\arol H D / N E N A D HD/I1ED IID/UND HD/OID (2) IID/IFD

P U S D (?) N E W S D

CONFIDENTIAL I J •»» l\FM TEL AVI V 201220Z JUN 79

TO I- 'MFD I ATE FCO TELEGRAM NUMBER 293 OF S«l JUNE

\ND WASHINGTON INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP B R U S S E L S CAIRO

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FOLLOWING IS T E X T , IN THE ORIGINAL ENGL ISHl

THE G O V E R N M E N T OF ISRAEL TOTALLY REJECTS THE MIDDLE EAST STATEMENT OF THE FOREIGN M I N I S T E R S OF THE EUROPEAN C O M M U N I T Y OF JUNE 18TH AND VIEWS IT AS INJURIOUS TO THE ENTIRE PROCESS O F NEGOTIATIONS IN THE AREA AND T O THE SEARCH FOR A COMPREHENSIVE SETTLEMENT,

THE POSITION TAKEN BY THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY CAN ONLY D I S C O U R A G E THE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE PARTIES 0" ALL THE VARIOUS ISSUES INVOLVED IN A U T O N O M Y AND THE FUTURE OF J U D A E A , SAMARIA AND THE GAZA D I S T R I C T .

IT HAD BEEN OUR HOPE AND EXPECTATION T H A T THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY

WOULD Gl E ITS PULL SUPPORT TO THE HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENT OF THE ISRAEL

EGYPT PEACE T R E A T Y A " D TO THE A R D U O U S NEGOTIATIONS U ; "ON WHICH W E A?E NOv EMBARKED* H O W E V E R , AFTER THE NEW STATEMENT, I CAN ONLY ASK YOU TO WEIGH MOST CAREFULLY THE GRAVE RESPONSIBILITY AMD C0N3E UCN0C3 OF ATTEMPTS T O PREJUDICE AND DICTATE FROM W I T H O U T

ASK YOU TO WEIGH M O O T C A R E F U L L Y THE GRAVE RESPONSIBILITY AND CONSEQUENCES OF ATTEMPTS T O PREJUDICE AND DICTATE FROM W I T H O U T THE COURSE OF THF N E G O T I A T I O N S , STRENGTHENING THE FORCES AND POSITIONS C O M M I T T E D fO l"HEIR FAILURE AND THI • C A U S H i 0 A3LE D A M A G E TO THE HO?ES OF P E A C E IN THE M I D D L E E A S T ,

THE ISRAELI S E T T L E M E N T S A R E , IN OUR O P I N I O N , STRICTLY IN ACCT^fc WITH INTERNATIONAL L A W , AND WE KNOW. OF N O RULE OF L A W WHICH COULD FEASIBLY BAN JEWS FROM LIVING IN J U D A E A , SAMARIA AND GAZA DISTRICT. NOT A SINGLE ARAB H A S BEEN DISPLACED BY THESE S E T T L E M E N T S , ON THE C O N T R A R Y , THE E S T A B L I S H M E N T OF THE JEWISH S E T T L E M E N T S IN THE AREAS H A S BROUGHT WITH IT ECONOMIC D E V E L O P M E N T AND ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF E M P L O Y M E N T T O THE ARAB INHABITANTS OF THESE A R E A S .

DESPITE THE STATEMENT OF THE EUROPEAN C O M M U N I T Y , AND M A N Y OTHER OBSTACLES IN OUR P A T H , ISRAEL WILL 00 ITS BEST T O C O N T I N U E THE NEGOTIATIONS IN THE HOPE OF ACHIEVING AN A G R E E M E N T IN A C C O R D A N C E WITH THE C A M P DAVID A C C O R D S - BOTH IN LETTER AND IN SPIRIT.

E N D S .

MASON

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M I D D L E E A S T : A D V A N C E C O P I E S 7-Jl w . :•; I . GILNOUK wo ifr jtfflwnTTin nxnjTT / (£)

P S / M R tiOND C A B I N E T OFFICE SIR J H U N T <PUS

I A P A R S O N S C A B I N E T OFFICE D I O * J C M O B E R L X

H D / N E N A D H D / M E D H D / U N D H D / O I D (?) H D / I P D I M M E D I A T E

P U S D (?) N E W S D R E S ] D E N T C L E R K

CON'-I DENT I M F \ TEL AVIV 201P15Z JUN 7 °

rTO IMMEDIATE C O TELEGRAM NUMBER 289 OE 20 JUNE INFO IMMEDIATE UKRE B R U S S E L S , .'ASHINGTON AMD CAIRO

YOUR TEL NO 2*6| EUROPEAN COMMUNITY MIDDLE EAST STATEMENT

I t P R E D I C T A B L Y THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE ISRAEL FOREIGN MINISTRY HAS THIS MORN I N O , 2"- J U N E , S U M M O N E D SEPARATELY EACH C O M M U N I T Y A M B A S S A D O R , STARTING WITH THE FRENCH, IN ORDER TO C O M M U N I C A T E IDENTICAL LETTERS F R O M THE ISRAEL FOREIGN MINISTER TO EACH FOREIGN MINISTER OF THE COMMUNITY* (TEXT IN HI F T , ) ALTHOUGH HE W A S NOT C E R T A I N , SASSCN THOUGHT IT LIKELY T H A T THE TEXT OF LETTERS ..'OULD 3E RELEASED TO THE P R E S S , THE F A C T CF THEIR EXISTENCE ALREADY HAS 3 E E N .

P . IN SUPPORT OF MR D A Y A N 9 8 LETTER, SASSON SPOKE IN FAMILIAR TERMS ABOUT THE MALADROIT C O N T E N T S AND TIMING OF THE COMMUNITY S T A T E M E N T . DID THE COMMUNITY REALLY THINK T H A T IT /OULD CONTRIBUTE PROGRESS TOWARDS PEACE? I R E P L I E D T H A T THE COMMUNITY W E R E AS C O N C E R N E D AS ANYBODY TO SEE A JUST AND LASTING PEACE IN THE MIDDLE E A S T . THEY WERE AT PRESENT E X T R E M E L Y CONCERNED T H A T ISRAEL /AS NOT H E L P F U L L Y CONTRIBUTING TO THE PROCESS. IF THE IR OWN S T A T E M E N T T U R N E D C U T TO HAVE CONTRIBUTED NOTHING ITSELF, THIS W O U L D BE BECAUSE ISRAEL HAD NOT TAKEN TO H E A R T ITS C O N T E N T S .

3. I ASH ED W H E T H E R MR DAYAN*S STATEMENT T H A T THE ISRAELI SETTLE­

I ASKED WHETHER IT? DAYAN'S STATEMENT THAT THE ISRAELI SETTLE-MENTS W E R E STRICTLY IN ACCORD WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW WAC BASED ^ N THE R E C E N T SUPREME C O U R T J U D G E M E N T , OF WHICH MR BEGIN GAVE T H E W PRIME MINISTER A C O P Y DURING HIS VISIT LAST M O N T H . WHEN SASSON RATH- - L U C T A N T L Y INDICATE THIT IT W A S I I 11TH X-u I R R F ^ ; . . - CE OF THE J U D G M E N T , AND THEN TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO CRITICE, FIRST, THE ISRAEL L E G I S L A T U R E ' S FAILURE TO T R A N S F O R M THE RELEVANT PARTS OF THE 1949 G E N E V A C O N V E N T I O N FROM C O N V E N T I O N A L INTO CUSTOMARY LAW? AND S E C O N D , THE FACT T H A T TIE SUPREME C O U R T ' S JUDGMENT WAS BASED ON I S R A E L ' S SECURITY R E Q U I R E M E N T S , W H I C H THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE H I M ­SELF HAD SAID DID NOT APPLY IN THE LATEST CASE 0^ ELON M O R E H . (AT THE T I M E , NEITHER SASSON NOR I UNFORTUNATt-Y KNEW OF THE SUPREME C O U R T ' S REJECTION OF THE CHIEF OF S T A F F ' S SUBMISSION TO THE CONTRARY ON M I C H WE SHALL BE R E P O R T I N G T O M O R R O W AFTER THE DEBATE NOW GOING ON IN THE KNESSET ON THE C O U R T ' S DECISION HAS C O N C L U D E D . )

A . SASSON M A D E THE P O I N T , T O W H I C H ISRAELI FOREIGN MlNJSTRY O F F I C ­IALS ARE A T T A C H E D , T H A T IT W A S THE C O M M U N I T Y RATHER THAN THE EGYPTIANS W H O W E R E M A K I N G ALL THE MUSS ABOUT S E T T L E M E N T S . I DID NOT FEEL ABLE TO DRAW ON THE C O N T E N T S OF PARA 2 OF YOUR T E L N O "'56 TO CAIRO (NOT TO A L L ) , AND T H E R E F O R E LET THE POINT GO BY D E F A U L T .

5. SASSON W A S ENTIRELY AT HIS EASE WHILE DETAILING THE C O M M U N I T Y ' S . S H O R T - C O M I N G S , B U T BY NO M E A N S AS HAPPY D E F E N D I N G I S R A E L ' S PRESENT S T A N C E . U N U S U A L L Y FOR THE ISRAEL FOREIGN M I N I S T R Y , THERE W A S A NOTE TAKER P R E S E N T , SO MY A N I M A D V E R S I O N S W I L L AT LEAST HAVE BEEN PLACED ON R E C O R D .

MASON

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