Spokesmen for the Jordanian and Saudi Arabian embassies deplored the terrorist acts by Arab gunmen against Israeli athletes today in Munich. The Saudi Arabian Embassy spokesman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency by telephone, “We support the fedayeen, but not these actions.” He added that Saudi Arabia is “against hijacking and assaults against people” and we certainly do not “support the left-wing of the fedayeen.” Saudi Arabia does not have athletes competing in Munich.
At the Jordanian Embassy, a press officer who identified himself as Zubayi Mufti said that the Jordanian government disapproves of these incidents. He referred to the statement of disapproval made previously by King Hussein and the government of Jordan, particularly in reference to the massacre at Lod Airport in May.
A canvas of spokesmen at the Iraqi, Syrian and Egyptian interest sections yielded no statement on the killings. However, the Arab Information Center said that two representatives who appeared in an interview on television station WTTG tonight did not express their regret but referred to the historical circumstances of the Palestinian situation and the difficulties stemming from the unsettled circumstances.
The Arab League Information Center here telephoned the Jewish Telegraphic Agency to say that “we regret what happened” in Munich, but added “You know better than I that this is not an isolated incident, but a reaction of desperate individuals victimized” by the Middle East situation.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
