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One circumstance that lies ahead is the Reagan Administration's decision to sell five AW ACS radar intelligence-gathering aircraft and other advanced air weaponry to Saudi Arabia. Begin stated his objections to the sale in detail to Reagan, arguing that the sale posed a clear "danger" to Israel. "We are not frightened by AWACS," Begin told Reagan, "but we are worried about them." Still, he followed the advice of aides not to raise a public ruckus in the U.S. about the sale, since an all-out fight would look bad if Congress does not act to block the deal.
Still, if the sale goes through, Israel will not take it lightly. TIME has learned that the Israeli air force recently made at least two reconnaissance flights over Saudi Arabia to gather photographic intelligence that would be helpful if it ever feels the need to shoot down the AWACS. Warned one Israeli official: "I feel sorry for Saudi Arabia. They are making themselves a dangerous target. Israel cannot take chances with the AW ACS."
The most tangible result of the talks was a decision to formalize and strengthen the strategic alliance of the U.S. and Israel against any Soviet military moves in the Middle East. Top advisers to both Reagan and Begin, including hawkish Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, began to work out the details of the new cooperation after the summit meeting ended. Any agreement will probably include the pre-positioning of medical supplies in Israel for U.S. forces, making any emergency move easier; joint U.S.-Israeli naval exercises; and increased access by Israel to U.S. military intelligence. Also under consideration was the possible use of Haifa as a base for U.S. naval forces. Well aware that moderate Arab states will be less than pleased by closer U.S.-Israeli military ties, Secretary Haig stressed that this relationship was "parallel to the kind of things potentially available to them at some point."
At week's end a senior Defense Department official said that the new strategic relationship might be hindered if the AWACS sale was rejected by Congress—an apparent signal to the Israelis that their American supporters should not try to lobby too hard against the deal.
In their talks, Reagan and Haig apparently won no concessions from the Israelis, even though they pressed Begin to seek progress in reaching an agreement with Egypt on autonomy for the 1.3 million Palestinian inhabitants of the West Bank and Gaza. Haig suggested a deadline of next April 25 for completion of the autonomy talks, which are to resume later this month in Cairo. By April, if all goes well, Egypt will have got back all of the Sinai Peninsula, seized by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War. Some U.S. officials fear that Egyptian President Anwar Sadat may lose interest in further talks with Israel once he has achieved that goal.