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THE 6 Septem ber 1975 The international Catholic weekly 25p
Eamon de Valera: Louis McRedmond Spotlight ; on Canada: J f. ì d. Cameron Prayer as d iialogue: Karl Rahner Reviews: Lawrence as as moralist * Scotland son and lover • Leibniz as holiday country
Pax Americana in the Middle East
Nobody may ever know how narrowly catastrophe in the Middle East has been avoided by the interim agreement now made between Israel and Egypt. A breakdown in the negotiations would have led ineluctably to war, with the terrible consequences of international involvement. It was not a local settlement that kept the American Secretary of State away from all his other pressing duties over a long period: in many ways the viability of his worldwide duties depended on the result of this local settlement.
Nobody must delude himself with the notion that peace has come on earth to men of goodwill in the area. Fear, suspicion and hatred are shared across the conference table and these show themselves in the elaborate and costly defence arrangements on both sides and the necessity of a wide neutral buffer zone. This is an armed truce but it offers the possibility of a deeper accord in the future. It is only the first step to a wider understanding that must now be attempted. President Ford, who has saluted it as the greatest diplomatic achievement of a decade, must now persuade Congress to approve of the deep American financial and political involvement in mounting the boundary line between the two contending parties, with American civilians in the radar warning system designed to give Israel security against surprise attack. The u s a will compensate for Israel’s loss of oil fields and Egypt has given an assurance permitting Israeli cargoes to pass through the Suez Canal and more importantly that there will be no boycott of Israel’s commercial and diplomatic interests.
This in turn should do something to diminish hostile moves against Israel in other quarters. At two recent international meetings, the Conference of the Organisation of
African States in Kampala and the Conference of NonAligned Nations in Lima, there was a move by anti-Israel groups to demand at the un General Assembly Israel’s expulsion from that body. But in both cases a milder formula was adopted.
Extension of this limited agreement with Egypt to the other Arab belligerents is beset with difficulties. The next step, for which Dr Kissinger’s visit to Damascus seems to have prepared the way, is an agreement with Syria. The Israelis have built a township and a kibbutz on the Golan Heights. President Sadat is not involved in the Syrian demands and the Israeli case for security in this region has some justification. It was from the Golan Heights that the Syrians overlooking Israel territory made numerous attacks on Israeli settlements even in peace time. The Syrian leader President Assad is reported to have shown some flexibility but his surprising agreement with his old foe, King Hussein, may mean that both will now work together to obtain a satisfactory settlement not only of border claims but about the territory in which the Palestinians would be given a “homeland.” It seems to be the intention of President Sadat anyway that the terrorism carried out by the Palestine Liberation Organisation, under strong communist influence, will be severely discouraged.
On other fronts, it may be hoped that the agreement will give Israel a sense of security and put an end for instance to her over-reaction to individual murders by Palestinians and retaliatory action on Lebanese soil. The Israelis’ merciless and immediate vengeance for these have hitherto set a sinister pendulum swinging and it may now come to rest.
