From The Hindu, June 3, 1975: Troop cut on Suez front: Israel's peace gesture to Egypt
Jerusalem, June 2: Israel announced to-day that it was reducing its tank, firepower and troop strength along the Suez Canal as a gesture of peace towards Egypt for the reopening of the waterway. Half of Israel's tanks in the front line zone would be withdrawn to at least about 29 km from the canal, and all artillery pieces would be pulled back 31 km from the shipping canal.
All missiles except anti-tank missiles would be moved behind a line 39 km from the canal, and 3,500 men — half of Israel's front line troops — would withdraw from the limited arms region east of the UN buffer zone.
The Israeli Premier, Mr. Yitzhak Rabin, who made this announcement at a news conference here, said that his country hoped this would 'bring home to the world, and to Egypt, the fact that Israel really wants peace.'
He assured the maritime nations that the Israeli army would not obstruct their ships sailing through the canal. The armaments would be withdrawn before the date of the reopening.
Egypt has announced that it will open the canal on Thursday, the eighth anniversary of the West Asia war that brought about its closure.
Today's decision was an abrupt turnaround for the Israeli Government, which only a day earlier had ruled out any such gesture before the results of the talks between the Egyptian President, Mr. Anwar Sadat and the U.S. President Mr. Gerald Ford became known to Israel.
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