A national Jewish leader said here this weekend that Israel cannot depend upon the United Nations for assuring its existence. Seymour Graubard, national chairman of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, told 500 community leaders attending the 60th anniversary meeting of the ADL at the Waldorf Astoria that the UN is becoming “a fomenter of imperialism, its prestige and machinery being used to subjugate weaker nations to the interests of stronger ones.”
Pointing out that liberal organizations have always defended the UN “against the destructive criticism of the far right,” he said “we are now being forced to the conclusion that, in violation of its charter, it has become little more than a political conclave.”
Despite the UN’s “original noble purpose of dispensing justice,” he continued, “the record shows that votes on Middle East affairs flagrantly disregard facts and support the Arabs at about every turn.” He cited a number of examples to support this view, including the refusal of the UN to condemn the Arab aggression against Israel on Oct. 6.
Graubard also excoriated the Soviet Union for its role in fomenting the Yom Kippur War. It is “ironic and demonic,” he said, that Arab payments to Russia for military hardware “will provide the Soviet Union with the currency it needs so badly to purchase wheat, industrial equipment and advanced computer technology from the U.S. and other Western nations.” The goal of East-West trade “as a deterrent to war will be underwritten for the Soviet Union with the proceeds, of war,” he stated.
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.
