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Israel Names Representative to Watch Events at Berlin Parley

January 19, 1954
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Israel’s interests at the Four Power conference on a German peace treaty, which will open in Berlin next Monday, will be watched by Dr. Chaim Yahil, deputy head of the Israel purchasing mission in Germany, it was learned here today.

Israel has requested of the Big Four that they admit to various commission meetings at the parley an Israeli representative who will act as an observer. The Israelis have pointed out that although Israel was not a nation during the world war, Israel has moral claims to representation both because Jews were victims of the Nazis and because Jews fought with every Allied army on every front against Germany.

When Israel raised the question of reparations from Germany it apportioned the claims as $1,000,000,000 against West Germany and $500,000,000 against East Germany. While the claims against the former have been settled, the latter has proven hostile to every Israeli approach and the Israeli claim remains unsatisfied.

Israeli envoys in Washington, Moscow, London and Paris are reminding the governments to which they are accredited of Israel’s claim against East Germany, (in Washington it was indicated today that no such reminder had yet been received.)

Israeli circles here expect that world Jewish claims against Austria will be one of the points considered by the Big Four. This issue, as well as continued payment of reparations agreed to in the Luxemburg agreement in the event Germany is unified, will be the subject of two memoranda from world Jewish organizations to the Big Four.

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