Miller, Stein Defend Dinitz

Two national Jewish leaders have strongly defended Israeli Ambassador Simcha Dinitz against charges in the Israeli press that he allowed himself to be manipulated by Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger to the detriment of Israel during the Yom Kippur War. Rabbi Israel Miller, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and Jacob Stein, who headed the Conference at the time of the Yom Kippur War. both praised Dinitz.

Rabbi Miller, addressing a meeting of the Presidents Conference here Thursday night at which Israeli Foreign Minister Yigal Allon and Dinitz were guests, said the Israeli envoy had always acted in a most effective and responsible manner and had the full confidence of the American Jewish community.

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

Stein told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency Friday that Dinitz at no time tried to prevent the American Jewish community from pressuring the U.S. government to aid Israel during last October’s war. as charged in some Israeli newspapers. Stein, who telephoned the JTA “to set the record straight,” said he was “besieged” by inquiries from Israeli news media regarding Dinitz’s conduct.

He stressed that he did not know the reasons for the charges against the Ambassador and did not want to interfere in Israeli politics. He recalled that on the night of Oct. 6. 1973. when Egyptian and Syrian forces launched their attack on Israel, the Presidents Conference decided to begin immediate pressure on Washington to send military equipment to Israel. “There was no effort by Ambassador Dinitz to contain us or to restrain us.” he said.

Stein also declared that Kissinger had never even “by the remotest Inference” linked support of Israel with the abandonment by the American Jewish community of the Jackson Amendment as has been claimed in Israeli press stories. Stein added that he attended every meeting between Kissinger and American Jewish leaders during the Yom Kippur War period.

Stein stressed that the American Jewish community, white it receives information from many sources, acts on its own. He said Din it has never tried to restrain its actions. “At no time did Ambassador Dinitz try to Influence the attitude of American Jews.” Stein reiterated.

Published reports that Dinitz had been misled and exploited by Kissinger during the Yom Kippur War have appeared in the U.S. and Israeli press. The charges against Dinitz and Kissinger brought a strong defense of the two by Israeli Foreign Minister Yigal Allon before a gathering of young American Jewish leaders last Sunday. Later Israeli Premier Yitzhak Rabin’s office denied rumors that he was planning to replace Dinitz and instead declared “the Ambassador enjoys the full confidence of the Prime Minister and is carrying out his task with efficiency, loyalty and devotion.”