‘No’ to Israeli proposal
The Rhodesia Herald, 15 January, 1974
CAIRO. — Egypt last night refused to accept the Israeli plan for a Suez peace and sent Dr Henry Kissinger back to Israel with detailed proposals of her own.
Despite the disappointment of the US Secretary of State’s failure to get agreement on his second trip to Aswan, the door still seemed ajar for a pact to disengage the two armies.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mr Fahmi, said the proposals brought from Israel by Dr Kissinger were unsatisfactory, but he maintained that this did not mean the Israeli plan had been rejected.
He said Dr Kissinger, who left last night for Israel, was taking an Egyptian map and other related language which together constituted a proposal for disengagement. This should not be regarded as a counter-proposal, but the Egyptian ideas would be in “very clear-cut language,” he said.
The two armies have been confronting each other on both sides of the Suez Canal since October 25 when the Middle East war ended with a ceasefire agreement.
Dr Kissinger, who was returning to Israel some hours later than had been originally planned, will be met at the airport by the Foreign Minister, Mr Eban. Further meetings with other Israeli leaders will probably wait until today.
The Secretary of State is expected back in Aswan tonight.
The Geneva talks between Israeli and Egyptian military negotiators, which were due to be resumed today, have been postponed while the Egyptian delegation returns to Cairo for consultations, expected to last two or three days.
Israel said it had postponed the departure of its delegation to Geneva following suspension of the talks by Egypt.
Dr Kissinger also postponed until later in the week a trip to Jordan he had planned for today for talks with King Hussein.
Dr Kissinger had three and a half hours of talks yesterday with President Sadat at the Egyptian leader’s holiday villa in Aswan. The two men also met last night.
The proposals approved by the Israeli cabinet on Sunday were also examined in working groups set up by Egypt and the US. — Iana-Reuter.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
◆ In 1974, it was Israel and Egypt where there was need to maintain a ceasefire between the two warring sides. This resulted in a “disengagement agreement signed on January 18, 1974, (that) provided for Israel to withdraw its forces into the Sinai west of the Mitla and Gidi passes, and for Egypt to reduce the size of its forces on the east bank of the canal.”
◆ Fast-forward to 11 January 2024, when South Africa took the state of Israel to the UN’s International Court of Justice ICJ), in The Hague, arguing that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza. The three-month bombardment by Israel has killed more than 23 thousand people, wounded thousands more and displaced thousands more.
◆ Israel argues that its actions are within the confines of international law, following the October 7, 2023 massacre of its citizens.
◆ It is, however, unfortunate that some in Israel and the West think that South Africa’s actions mean that it is a proxy of Hamas, without acknowledging that Israel is fighting the United States’ proxy wars in the Middle East.
◆ The genocide case put South Africa on the international map and made Africa proud that it can stand on principle, and refuse to be bullied by former colonisers.