Thatcher, Ending Israel Visit, Distances Britain From PLO

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said Tuesday that if the Palestine Liberation Organization refuses to renounce terrorism and recognize Israel’s right to exist, alternative negotiating representatives of the Palestinian people must be sought.

Thatcher’s statement, at a news conference that ended a three-day visit to Israel, appeared to be intended to put distance between the PLO and Britain.

Thatcher suggested that elections in the Israeli-occupied West Bank might provide new leaders who could serve as an alternative to the PLO.

Her remarks were viewed by Israeli officials as significant not only because they implied a lessening in Britain’s support for the PLO, but also because Britain will assume the chairmanship of the European Communities in July and will be in a position to influence its stance toward the Mideast peace process.

Thatcher, whose visit here was the first by a British prime minister since Israel was founded in 1948, met Monday with eight Palestinian leaders from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, who presented her with a petition demanding self-determination for the Palestinian people and condemning the April U.S. air raid on Libya.

Thatcher said at the news conference that the “ultimate solution” to the Palestinian problem appears to be a federation between Jordan and the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where 1.3 million Palestinians live.