Representatives of 13 European parliaments yesterday concluded a two-day conclave here by urging European countries not to give in to Arab economic pressures aimed against Israel. The resolution adopted unan- imously by the some 140 persons attending the Conference of the Europe-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Association also urged world solidarity with Israel while calling for direct negotiations between Israel and the Arab states.
Premier Yitzhak Rabin told the closing session of the conference that Israel would not negotiate over her very existence despite her desire for peace talks with the Arabs. He declared that Jerusalem would remain under Israel sovereignty with guarantees of free access and usage of the holy places.
Earlier former Foreign Minister Abba Eban called on Europe not to give in to Arab oil blackmail. He said the Cyprus crisis showed there was no value in international guarantees and the only way to solve disputes was through direct negotiations. Likud leader Menachem Beigin said the surprise attack on Israel that occurred last Yom Kippur could be repeated anytime.
WILL WORK TO AID SOVIET JEWS
As the session was ending a small group of delegates decided to keep in constant touch on efforts to help Soviet Jews to emigrate to Israel. British MP Greville Janner, temporary coordinator for the group, said he was “delighted” at the development since it was the first time parliamentarians from a large number of countries had agreed to work together on the problem. The parliamentarians had agreed to channel their efforts through the British All-Party Parliamentary Committee for the Release of Soviet Jewry of which Janner is chairman.
At a press conference today, the European visitors said they would act in their countries against the resolution adopted by the nine Common Market countries supporting the Arab interpretation of Security Council Resolution 242. They said that they now understood Israel’s problems better and could therefore exert their influence more effectively for a more pro-Israeli policy by their governments.
The Europe-Israel Parliamentary Association had previously held meetings in Paris and Berlin following the Yom Kippur War. This was their first meeting in Israel.
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.
