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While the groups that attacked Javits professed to reflect the dews of U.S. Jewry, many prominent American Jews sharply disagreed. Connecticut's Senator Abraham Ribicoff, a staunch supporter of Israel who drew much heat from the Israeli lobby when he backed the Administration's sale of warplanes to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, was "in complete agreement" with Javits on Israeli withdrawal from Arab lands. Los Angeles Rabbi Allen Freehling, president of the Southern California division of the American Jewish Congress, took issue with the position of his group's national leadership. "I refuse to go along with the philosophy that you don't criticize Israel in public," he said. "I think Javits' statement is an articulation of a frustration on the part of many Jews and non-Jews that peace is slipping by. Knee-jerk reaction to criticize anyone who criticizes Israel is being a bit irresponsible."
Adds a prominent American Jew who has held posts in four Administrations: "Javits absolutely reflects thoughtful Jewish opinion and the feelings of Americans friendly to Israel. The Israeli response was an evasion; it suggested a real lack of readiness to find an answer."
Perhaps the biggest loser in last week's Israeli Cabinet decision was Anwar Sadat. Jerusalem's decision will increase the pressure he has been getting from several quarters to renounce his peace initiative in the interest of restoring Arab unity. Among the friends who are pressing him to change course is Jordan's King Hussein, who has urged him to acknowledge publicly that his peace effort has failed. Sadat has refused. Among his foes is his own ambassador to Lisbon, former General Saadeddin Shazli, who was fired from his post last week after savagely denouncing Sadat. Shazli has disliked Sadat ever since Sadat removed him as Chief of Staff shortly after the 1973 October War, and he appears to see himself as available to charge home from exile if asked to replace a faltering Sadat.
The Egyptian President's reaction to the Israeli vote was publicly mild. "If the peace initiative should fail," he said, "it will not be the end of the world. There will be a new approach." Privately, he has taken comfort from the amount of opposition in Israel to Begin's stand, particularly Weizman's strong reaction. Sadat has threatened in the past to let the Sinai disengagement agreement lapse in October, when it comes up for renewal, if the impasse has not been broken by then. But what he really hopes is that the U.S. will become what he calls a "full partner" in the negotiations. Translation: he wants the U.S. to come up with its own peace plan, judging that it would be closer to Egypt's position than to Israel's and would not be easy for the Israelis to dismiss out of hand.