Middle East: Hardening Line

Israel's leaders purposely have never been precise in defining how much they intend to keep of the Arab territory their army conquered in the 1967 war. Now, however, the Cabinet's position is rapidly hardening. Israel's new frontiers, says Premier Golda Meir, must provide "no natural advantage to our neighbors" (see box). In strategic translation, that means that Israel intends to retain part of Jordan's West Bank, at least a measure of Syria's Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and as yet unspecified portions of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Last week Deputy Premier Yigal Allon promised Israelis that "if our frontiers are...