When, in 1977, the Egyptian president announced his intention to visit Israel, Moshe Dayan gave Menahem Milson—then the head of the Department of Arab Affairs for the military government of Judea and Samaria—a list of prominent Palestinian figures to invite to the arrival ceremony at the airport. As Milson accurately predicted, everyone on the list refused to attend. At Dayan’s behest, Milson then proceeded to invite Palestinian leaders of his own choosing—with significantly greater success. At play in this historical vignette was a fundamental difference in attitudes:
[Dayan frequently exhibited a] distaste for moderate Palestinians. He made it publicly known that he regarded Palestinian terrorism as a “natural” response to [the Palestinian] condition and consequently did not really take Palestinians who openly rejected terrorism seriously—even though it required a great deal of personal courage (and strong backing from one’s clan) to deviate publicly from the official PLO line. . . .
[Sadat’s visit] highlighted the substantial difference between two approaches to relations with the Palestinians: that of Dayan—the man who had determined Israel’s policy in the [occupied] territories since the 1967 war—and the very different approach in which I believed. The principle that guided me in all my work as adviser on Arab affairs, and later as head of the civil administration in the West Bank, was that Israel had to encourage and protect those Palestinians who favored coexistence, whether they were pro-Jordan or proponents of Palestinian independence. . . .
[On the third day of his visit], Sadat met with several of the Palestinian figures who had welcomed him at the airport. . . . Upon his return to Egypt, he declared: “In Jerusalem I met the real Palestinians.” It was, ironically, precisely the reverse of Moshe Dayan’s position.
Of course, this is all something like ancient history in Israeli-Palestinian relations by now. Over the last three-plus decades, we have seen the Oslo Accords and recurrent rounds of negotiations that have led nowhere. All the more reason, then, to recall those brave Palestinians who 38 years ago defied the PLO and welcomed Sadat at Ben-Gurion Airport.
Read more on Jewish Review of Books: https://jewishreviewofbooks.com/articles/1966/sadat-in-jerusalem-behind-the-scenes/