Russians Call Israeli Charge of Soviet Discrimination Against Jews Zionist Diversion

The situation of Soviet Jewry has become an issue at the conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union now taking place here. According to informed reports later denied by the Soviets, the Russian delegation threatened to walk out of the conference if an Israeli-sponsored supplementary item on discrimination against Soviet Jews would be discussed at the sessions. An Egyptian resolution on alleged denial of rights to Arabs in the occupied territories met with no objection from the Russians. The executive council of the conference recommended that neither item be placed on the agenda. The chief Russian delegate called Israel’s charges “A Zionist diversionary act” aimed at directing the attention of world bodies from more important issues. Among those items already on the regular conference agenda is the situation of the Middle East. Haim Joseph Zadok, MK, head of Israel’s delegation, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that his country still hopes to bring up the Russian-Jewish question at the current deliberations.