In his congratulatory message. to Prime Minister Begin, President Carter invited him for talks in Washington. The date agreed upon was 18 July. One of the major subjects to be discussed would be the future of the West Bank. In this interview, Foreign Minister Dayan said that he could not see any Israeli government or party giving up the West Bank.
Q. Do you see, as any part of the solution, Israel giving up the West Bank or do you see it remaining part of Israel?
A. Well, it's not exactly one of the two, just only one of these two alternatives. All the Israelis, government and parties agree that Israel should have the right to have Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and none of them think of complete pullout from the Wet Bank. I cannot see giving up the West Bank to Jordan accepted by any Israeli party or government.
Q. What do you think when you hear President Carter talk about the Palestinians - the Palestinians must have a homeland?
A. Well, everyone must have a homeland. How, the question is what exactly the President meant by that. But if you want to interpret it into a state, and you don't mean just that they feel that this is their home, but this is their state, then I don't really think that the West Bank can become a Palestinian state, and I don't know any Arab leader who thinks that the West Bank and the Gaza Strip can really make a state.
Q. What is your view on President Carter's statement about perhaps two sets of borders for Israel, one the actual border on the map and the other perhaps a buffer zone or a neutral zone?
A. Well, I don't really know exactly what he means by that, and I think that should be clarified when Mr. Begin will go to Washington next month.