THE ISRAELI OFFER
area sounds the most promising that has yet been put forward. Earlier proposals have broken down for two main reasons: the Egyptians do not want to commit themselves to a border, and the Israelis do not trust the Egyptians sufficiently to accept their counter-proposal of a demilitarised zone (Egyptian infiltration is in any case practised largely by irregulars). Israel now suggests that a strip about 100 metres wide should be made into a security zone, hedged between mines and barbed wire. Joint patrols could then supervise the border from within the strip. This would be simply for security purposes, without prejudice to the future of the political border. Israel is prepared to negotiate at any level—making it easier for the Egyptian Government, which does not care to admit it is on speaking terms with Israel at all, to reach a settlement without loss of face. Colonel Nasser can hardly reject these proposals without demonstrating either that his government is intractably bellicose, or that it is not yet strong enough to face Egyptian public opinion. At the moment it looks as if there is a good prospect that he will accept discussions at valley level; and from them a settlement should materialise. But if he does not accept, there can be little doubt that the Israelis will throw off restraint and revert to the type of retaliatory action they tried a few weeks ago : planned raids designed not so much to intimidate the Egyptians as to gratify Israeli public opinion. That it also alarms and angers world opinion is unlikely to deter the Israelis much longer in their present impatient mood.
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