Word: menachem
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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There was no reaction to that emotional charge in Jerusalem. The Israelis were worried about Premier Menachem Begin's health and embroiled in a domestic debate about how the government should respond to Washington's request for more details on Israel's plan for autonomy for the occupied West Bank. His doctors say that Begin, who was resting at home last week, suffers from diabetes and heart trouble, but rumors persist that his health is worse than has been acknowledged. He both looks and acts ill. During a Cabinet meeting recently, Begin's head dropped...
...contend that if an independent Palestinian state were created in the West Bank (and in the Gaza Strip along the Mediterranean), it would quickly be taken over by the Palestine Liberation Organization and used as a launching pad for terrorist attacks on Israel. For that reason, last December Premier Menachem Begin put forward a 26-point proposal for the occupied territories that would give limited self-rule to the Arabs on domestic matters. Israeli authorities, however, would still be responsible for "security and public order," meaning continued occupation...
...appalled at the double standard in American-Israeli relations. On the one hand, Menachem Begin feels he can brush aside American suggestions on the peace negotiations because they constitute interference in Israeli affairs [May 15]. On the other hand, the Israelis brazenly deploy lobbyists and their government officials to pressure our Congress into voting against the stated policy of the President...
Israeli reaction was predictably bitter, and much of the anger was directed at Premier Menachem Begin. Wrongly counting on Congress's traditional support for Israel, he opposed the sale of fighters to Saudi Arabia. Then, two days before the vote, he realized that he had miscalculated Israel's strength. Switching tactics, he directed his embassy to fight the entire package. But it was too late. Begin called the Senate's decision "a negative turn for the security of Israel." He added: "An attempt is being made to impose peace terms on us." Former Premier Yitzhak Rabin called...
...Jewish organizations responded almost as one to oppose the package, many individual Jews were less certain. Some thought Israeli Premier Menachem Begin deserved to be pressured more by the U.S., that Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's mission to Jerusalem rated a reward, that moderate Arabs like the Saudis could help achieve peace. More significantly, however, they were confused by the official Israeli position on the package. Neither Jerusalem nor the Israeli embassy in Washington flatly urged that the package be killed if it meant that Israel could not get the planes it wanted-until just a few days before...