When Biden met Meir: Joe Biden advised Jewish PM to trade land for peace
Following a return from Egypt where he discussed with Saadat regarding several things, roughly 40 days before the surprise attack that would turn into the Yom Kippur war.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFGERMAN AMBASSADOR Rolf Pauls kisses the hand of foreign minister Golda Meir, after presenting his credentials at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem in 1965.(photo credit: MOSHE PRIDAN / GPO)
A meeting between Joe Biden and former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, described in a memo published by Israeli reporter Nadav Eyal, sheds light on the former Vice President's thought process at that time, and what he believed Israel should do shortly before the Yom Kippur war broke out.The meeting took place following his return from Egypt where he discussed with Saadat several things, roughly 40 days before the surprise attack that would turn into the Yom Kippur war.Biden attempted to convince then Prime Minister Golda Meir that Israel withdraw first from areas with no strategic importance - meaning not the Golan heights - suggesting that peace could be acquired this way.To that, Meir is described as rejecting his offers, arguing that the Jewish people could not afford to make such "mistakes" after the Holocaust, and that Arab Regimes tend to be unstable. Biden is also described as lacking experience in the diplomatic field by the "enthusiasm in his voice."Biden further told Meir during the meeting that no serious debate was being held regarding the Middle East, as Senators didn't want to say anything that would displease Jewish voters.A recent poll has shown a stark contrast between Israeli Jews and American Jews in regards to the American elections. Where most Israeli Jews prefer Donald Trump to be elected, most American Jews support Joe Biden.
