Foreign Relations: Visitors from Israel

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While world attention focused on the drama of a quadruple skyjack last week, the greater crisis of peace or war hung unresolved over the Middle East. Israel's two top international spokesmen plan to visit the U.S. this week. Foreign Minister Abba Eban will fly to Manhattan, where he will confer with United Nations Mediator Gunnar Jarring. Eban hopes to get the stalled Middle East negotiations started again, preferably on Israel's terms. The Israelis demand the removal of the Soviet-supplied missiles that have been placed in the Egyptian standstill zone since the cease-fire went into effect on Aug. 7.

If Eban fails, as seems likely, the journey of Premier Golda Meir will become even more important. She will fly to Washington for discussions with President Nixon. Mrs. Meir is bringing an $800 million shopping list that includes U.S. jet fighters, antiaircraft missiles, electronic equipment and helicopters.

Phantom Decision. Even before she left home, Mrs. Meir was able to scratch half an item off her list. The Israeli air force, which has lost nine of the 50 U.S. Phantom jet fighter-bombers bought during the Johnson Administration, has asked for 25 more. Last week the Pentagon leaked the news that Israel would be allowed to buy 16 or 18 additional Phantoms. The Arabs, who regard the highly effective Phantoms as the symbol of U.S. "imperialism" in the Middle East, were predictably angry. The Egyptians accused the U.S. of undermining the cease-fire agreement by causing "military escalation and unprecedented risk" in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Egyptian violations are continuing. For the 13th time since the truce took effect six weeks ago, Israel complained to the U.N. about the movement of new missiles into the 32-mile-wide standstill zone on the Egyptian side of the canal. The Israelis estimate that 72 missile sites have been built, restored or are now under construction in the zone; of these, 60 sites have been dug or repaired since the ceasefire, and ten of the 60 have been equipped with Russian-built missiles. For the first time, Israel last week charged that sophisticated low-altitude Soviet-made SA3 missiles, which are normally operated by Russian crews, had been brought into the standstill zone along with the high-altitude, less sophisticated SA-2s. The U.S. has complained about the buildup to both Cairo and Moscow. Last week both capitals responded to the U.S. remonstrances by denying that the situation involved anything more than a routine shift of batteries in the standstill area when the cease-fire began. Even this, as the U.S. understands the truce, was a violation.