Israel Assails Egypt’s Action on Palestine

Israel accused Egypt today of deviating from a peace accord by recognizing a Palestinian state, but Yasser Arafat predicted the Egyptians will join his Palestine Liberation Organization in pushing for a regional peace conference.

In Brussels, European Community foreign ministers stopped short of recognizing the state which the Palestine National Council proclaimed in Algiers last week, but said the PNC’s decisions are helpful to a regional settlement.

About 35 countries, mainly Arab and Muslim, had recognized the Palestinian state by today. Egypt, the only Arab country to have signed a peace treaty with Israel, announced its official recognition of the state on Sunday.

In Jerusalem, Israel summoned Egyptian Ambassador Mohamed Bassiouny to complain about the decision. Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said he considers the move another complication on the road to peace.

Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin condemned it as a deviation from Egypt’s commitments under the 1978 Camp David peace accords, which say the status of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza should remain unchanged until decided by negotiations.

Arafat, arriving in Cairo a week after the PNC proclaimed the state, said he will brief Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the council’s resolutions, which also included an implicit recognition of Israel’s right to exist.