Nation: The Mood Is Strong

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On one wall hangs a portrait of Theodor Herzl, founding father of Zionism; near by hangs Ze'ev Jabotinsky, a leading proponent of Eretz Israel (the biblical land of Israel) and mentor of Menachem Begin. Tieless and in shirtsleeves, the Israeli Premier seemed relaxed and reflective as he spoke last week with TIME Correspondent Dean Fischer. Excerpts:

On his expectations for Camp David: I am hopeful that we will agree to serious negotiations at Camp David, and that there will be no abrupt interruptions. When you consider that the United States negotiated the Panama Canal Treaty for 14 years, it is realistic to expect that negotiations on the Middle East will take a while. I am not talking of years but of months—months of intensive negotiations. By this I mean our people should sit together five days a week. It will be necessary to have such serious discussions in order to bring about peace. We shall certainly do our best at Camp David to achieve it.

On Israel's mood: The mood of the country is strong. The government has the support of the Israeli people. In parliament we have a very large majority. Of course, there are differences of opinion, but we shall be leaving for Camp David with the full support of a democratic country.

On his personal relations with Carter and Sadat: Personal relationships are quite important, and as far as President Carter is concerned, I think we established relationships of friendship. Since I first met him last July, we have exchanged between 25 and 30 personal messages. We had phone calls, we had long meetings together, and this last handwritten message, which Secretary of State Vance brought to me, is really written in warm terms of friendship, which is mutual.

During my first meeting with President Sadat in Jerusalem, a very warm personal relationship was established between us. When we had our personal talk at the King David Hotel, he volunteered the statement: "You are my friend." Later on there came a metamorphosis and there was some bitter name-calling in Egypt. As far as I am concerned, I didn't reply in kind because I don't think name-calling solves any problems. However, when I meet President Sadat under the sponsorship of President Carter, I will say to him, "Mr. President, at Jerusalem and Ismailia, you told me you are my friend. Then there was a difficult period of relations between us. But I remember your statement, and I reciprocate it in my heart. Therefore, I suggest to you, 'Let us be friends.' "

On the Soviet threat: I shall be going to Camp David determined to reach an agreement. Such an agreement would be good for Israel and for Egypt, and for peace, which is our innermost striving. But there is also another reason why I wish the meeting to succeed. And that is the international prestige of the President of the United States. We in Israel are an integral part of the free world, and the free world is under constant onslaught. You can see what is happening around us. Aden, Southern Yemen, Ethiopia, Angola, Mozambique—all these countries were actually taken over by the Soviet Union. There is a plan in Moscow to take over country after country, usually by proxy.