At the usual airport press conference, Mr. Begin described his talks in Washington and indicated the areas of Israel-U.S. agreement. He also said that Israel will await the President with great expectations. Excerpts:
The Prime Minister. Ladies and Gentlemen, while flying over Cyprus we received word that President Carter and his entourage had landed in Egypt and were welcomed warmly by the Egyptian people. I wish to extend to President Carter, from Ben-Gurion Airport, my best wishes for success in Egypt. His success in this mission will also be our success. It will hasten the process of achieving peace between Israel and Egypt. As a first step in the establishment of peace in the Middle East.
This week, if I may be permitted to say so, has been a good week for Israel. On arrival in Washington, I knowingly opened a box. This was not a Pandora's box but rather "a box of political truth". I told all the news media and the entire American people that the negotiations between Israel and Egypt were in a state of deep crisis and that it was impossible to demand of us that we sign a sham document.
Immediately after arrival at Blair House, I was invited for personal talks with the President which continued for close on two hours. We found a common language and the talks were held in a friendly atmosphere. Of course, we touched on our special problems connected with the Peace Negotiations and I explained our position to the President unambiguously. During the talks the next day ... between the two delegations ... I demonstrated to the President that in the letter handed to Israel's Foreign Minister at Camp David on the last day of the talks, there were eight deviations from the text of the Camp David Agreement. I also clarified why we cannot under any circumstances accept the interpretive note to Article 6(2) and to 6(5), which are the heart and soul of the agreement, and without which it becomes a sham document. This talk was also conducted in a friendly atmosphere and we parted friends. But is was clear that both Governments were standing firm and that there had been no change in the positions of either the American or Israeli side. Apart from the important remark by the President of the U.S. to the Secretary of State asking why it was not possible to use the text of the Camp David Agreement. Subsequently, a senior American official admitted to a senior Israeli official that the Israeli position on this point was completely justified.
Immediately after the interview (on ABC's "Issues and Answers" on Sunday, 4 March) we were invited to the White House ... and new proposals were presented to us. This was the turning point.
Gentlemen, understand that even now I cannot reveal to you, and to the general public, the contents of these proposals. The situation is very delicate and I ask everyone of you to understand the delicacy of the political situation.
The U.S. President is at present in Cairo and he will arrive here only on Saturday night. During the next two days, he will have to persuade the Egyptian President and his aides that they are able to and should accept the new proposals which the Israeli Government approved.
We are now awaiting a positive reply from Egypt. For this reason I cannot reveal the contents of the proposals. I can only say with a clear conscience and with complete awareness that these are proposals which the Israeli Government was able to approve and which the people of Israel, when they learn their contents, will gladly accept. Of course, they have to be brought before the Knesset for approval.
Tomorrow I shall give a full report to the Cabinet and a report to the (Knesset's) Defence and Foreign Affairs Committee which will be full, provided that all Committee Members undertake especially not to reveal a word, and they will have to swear not to reveal what I report to them. This time we are talking about life-and-death matters. We cannot endanger the issue of peace, which is a matter of life-and-death for us, by leaks.
The President of the U.S. will arrive here on Saturday night, together with his aides. I am sure the nation will give them a warm welcome with traditional hospitality and with warmth. It is not true that he is planning to put pressure on Israel. He did not try to put pressure on us in Washington. If the proposals presented to us at Camp David II had remained (intact), I would have left Washington with a resounding "No". The U.S. President is coming to advance the peace process. He will be received with traditional Jewish hospitality, with warmth and friendship and I am sure that this visit will be inscribed in our history as one of the most important steps in deepening friendship between the United States and Israel.
Q. If President Carter gets the Egyptians to agree to the proposals, will it be possible to sign the treaty?
A. Yes.
Q. Do you foresee a tripartite meeting?
A. It is not impossible. It is not certain.
Q. Did you discuss a military pact with the President and what was his response?
A. We didn't finalize anything. The idea was raised. The initiative must come from the Americans. If the Americans make a proposal to this effect, I shall recommend that the Cabinet accept it.
Q. Do you think it will be possible to sign this week?
A. I do not think it will be possible to sign anything this week. I want to say that if it does emerge that we can sign a Peace Treaty, as I hope, then we will not accept President Sadat's proposal to sign on Mt. Sinai. I'll tell you why. We don't know where Mt. Sinai is. There is a Moslem belief that it is Jebl Mussa, but we have never accepted this. And to create the artificial impression that we are on the Mount to climb up at dawn to the summit in the belief that it is the place where Moses received the Commandments, is artificial and not serious. We cannot accept it. I propose that when the time comes to sign, I go to Cairo and sign the Arabic version and that then the Egyptian President come to Jerusalem and sign the Hebrew version, and the U.S. President could go to both capitals to sign the English version, which is the binding version.
Q. What do you think of reports of Egyptian counter-proposals?
A. I haven't seen any Egyptian counter-proposals. If they are put forward, we will read them. If they are unacceptable, then of course, we will say no. The proposals approved by the Cabinet are good proposals.
Q. In your talks with Carter, were all the differences with the U.S. ironed out?
A. I think there were not only differences of opinion. From the start, we agreed on many points. Of course we also spoke about other subjects, but I cannot go into details.
Q. Has Washington promised Israel a 3.5 billion-dollar grant?
A. Not yet. The subject was raised and there was a very serious discussion. Israel's request, if the treaty is signed, is for a sum of between three and four billion dollars. The request has not been rejected but obviously it requires serious discussion. I also requested that the President approve an early meeting between the Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. Blumenthal, who has returned from China, and our Finance Minister Simha Ehrlich. They are both talented men and will find the way to arrive at an agreement on this subject.