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Another Rogers caller was Israeli Ambassador Yitzhak Rabin, who was particularly worried that a limited ceasefire might give Egypt an opportunity to move Russian missiles up to the Suez Canal. In Tel Aviv, Foreign Minister Abba Eban expressed similar concern, arguing that a temporary cease-fire "would be a certificate for the resumption of hostilities on a fixed date. It would be only a phase of war, whereas a permanent cease-fire would be a transition for peace."
Diplomatic Defensive. Such objections indicate the extent to which Nasser's action has put Israel—and the U.S. —on the diplomatic defensive. The U.S. is in something of a fix because it must now coax Israel to the peace table or be branded hypocritical for suggesting negotiations and then failing to deliver its client.
Washington hopes to rely on persuasion, but if that fails, the U.S. might theoretically resort to pressure. One means would be to threaten a cutback in military aid, including replacements for lost Israeli Phantom jets. Another would be to hold down on economic aid, though it is now running at only $55 million a year. A third, highly risky in a U.S. election year, would be a threat to tax the heavy contributions sent to Israel by the U.S. Jewish community (1969 estimate: $250 million). Such moves would drive a wedge between Israel and the U.S., its firmest ally. In fact, some observers speculate that just such a development is the real objective of the Soviet-Egyptian decision to support the Rogers plan.
The Soviets and their Arab allies are not without problems, of course. While Nasser does not have to deliver the Palestinian Arabs to the peace table, he does have to keep their reaction in mind. And the Palestinians, particularly the guerrilla groups, are already on record as opposing any peace settlement short of dismantling Israel.
Tanks in Tripoli. Diplomats view last week's developments as merely the first halting steps on a long, rock-strewn road. The Soviet Union lost no time in confirming that opinion by launching a new military-assistance program in Libya, Nasser's next-door neighbor. Intelligence sources reported last week that Russian freighters have recently docked at Tripoli to unload Soviet tanks and armored cars that have been sold to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's army. The Soviets tried to make light of the move. "If you are going to 'expel' us from Egypt, we must go elsewhere," grinned a Russian diplomat in Washington, referring to a remark by Presidential Adviser Henry Kissinger that Kissinger himself has since termed unfortunate. But the news from Libya did little to reassure the U.S. that Moscow really has peace on its mind in the Middle East.