Skepticism Mounts About Reports of Renewed Soviet-Israeli Ties

U.S. and Israeli officials expressed skepticism Thursday about reports that the Kremlin is planning to resume diplomatic relations with Israel in February as a prelude to easing restrictions on Jewish emigration.

At the same time, other sources noted that some Western Jewish leaders are negotiating with the Kremlin to seek permission for direct plane flights carrying Soviet emigres to Israel, a potential first step toward diplomatic relations.

Speculation about a possible resumption of Israeli-Soviet relations was fueled by a reported luncheon conversation last Friday between a Soviet diplomat in Washington and a representative of the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, a Los Angeles-based organization that studies Nazi crimes and anti-Semitism.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the Wiesenthal Center, reported that the Soviet official said his country “will establish diplomatic relations with Israel in February” and that the Soviets “are looking for ways” to solve the Jewish emigration problem. He declined to identify publicly the two participants in the discussion.

“I hope it’s true,” said Hier. “It would be very significant.”

Earlier Hints

But State Department and Israeli Embassy officials noted that there has been no movement toward a resumption of Israeli-Soviet relations, even though Soviet diplomats have dropped similar hints on several previous occasions.

“At this moment we don’t have any evidence to support it,” said a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy. “The Soviets will be judged not by words, but by their deeds.”

A spokesman for the Soviet Embassy in Washington declined comment on the report.

The Soviets have said in the past that they would not resume diplomatic relations until Israel agreed to return all lands occupied during the 1967 Six-Day War, when ties between the two countries were broken. But Egypt and Jordan have recommended that the Kremlin restore diplomatic relations with Israel to help improve prospects for a Mideast peace conference in which the Soviets would play a key role.

Sees ‘Disinformation Campaign’

Jerry Goodman, executive secretary of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry, described the report of an impending renewal of diplomatic relations as “an old story in a new wrapper.” He charged that it is part of a “disinformation campaign” that began nearly a year ago when the Soviets started dropping hints about increased emigration in meetings with representatives of American Jewish groups.

“There’s a certain amount of public relations manipulation by the Soviets,” Goodman said. “I can’t say the Wiesenthal people were used, but they may have been.”

Leaders of the World Jewish Congress are negotiating with the Soviets for an increase in Jewish emigration on direct plane flights to Israel. Although the talks have produced no agreement so far, the negotiators are said to hope that direct flights can be arranged. One source said that would represent “an intermediate step short of recognition.”

Israel Singer, who as general secretary of the World Jewish Congress has traveled to Moscow four times in the last year to discuss Jewish emigration with Soviet officials, declined to comment on the status of the talks.

Fear Greater Role

State Department spokesman Charles Redman emphasized that the United States views the question of Jewish emigration as separate from that of Israeli-Soviet diplomatic relations. U.S. officials apparently fear that the Soviets will use the emigration issue as a way to gain a greater political role in the Middle East.

“One of the fundamental rights is the right of immigration,” Redman said. “That issue should not be tied to the question of restoring diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Israel, which we have consistently supported.”

The number of Jews permitted to leave the Soviet Union has slowed drastically since the peak year of 1979, when 51,300 emigrated. It is estimated that the total figure for 1985 will be slightly more than 1,000.

American Jewish groups said that Soviet signals on Jewish emigration continue to be contradictory. Eliyahu Essas, leader of the Jewish religion and culture movement in the Soviet Union, was told recently that he would be allowed to leave the country after waiting for 12 years. But at least 30 other Jews in Moscow are believed to have been refused permission to leave in the last week.