WHO STANDS ACCUSED?

Chaim Herzog, Israeli Ambassador to the UN and author of The War of Atonement (1975), replies forcefully to Arab accusations of Israeli intransigence in response to Anwar el-Sadat's bold psychological breakthrough. Sadat miscalculated in Jerusalem, Herzog asserts. Failing to get support from the moderate Arab states like Jordan, Sadat precipitously broke off negotiations and changed his approach even though the resolution of many problems was proceeding in the political and military consultations launched as a result of his visit. The question of settlements was a pretext, says Herzog, as Menahem Begin's peace proposal and program for self-determination on the West Bank was originally praised both by Sadat and Carter. (This, of course, does not dispose of the new settlements--or of the Sinai.) That the talks should resume toward regional peace and economic cooperation is the concluding assertion of this collection of Herzog's speeches and statements presented at the UN. He had previously served as Director of Israeli Military Intelligence and he was the first Military Governor of the West Bank of Jordan in 1967. Beginning with his attack against the resolution equating Zionism with racism, Herzog follows with discussions on the refugee problem both Arab and Jewish, the double standard in the UN apropos of racism and human rights, inter-Arab relations, Jerusalem, the Geneva peace conference, and the ""scourge of international terrorism."" As the title implies, Herzog's response is a summation, supported by maps and documents, of Israel's stand on the basic issues of the Middle East dispute.