Premier Menachem Begin, in a letter to Secretary General Kurt Waldheim, declared today that the Israel government decision to expel Nablus Mayor Bassam Shaka “is based on local regulations, enforced in Judaea and Samaria since 1945.”
Begin’s letter followed a General Assembly resolution last Friday, calling on Israel to stop the deportation proceedings against Shaka. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 132-1. Israel cast the negative vote. The United States abstained.
Begin’s letter, which was handed to Waldheim by Israel’s UN Ambassador Yehuda Blum, noted that the decision to deport Shaka “will be reviewed by the Supreme Court of Israel.” Therefore, Begin said, he cannot disclose details at this stage of Shaka’s activities “since the case is strictly sub judice.”
The Israeli Premier said that “In the course of the legal proceedings (against Shaka) that start at the end of this week, the State Attorney will bring evidence to prove that Mr. Shaka has been acting for the murderous PLO which is bent on the destruction of Israel and is using genocidal methods through repeated attacks against civilians, men, women and children.”
Continuing, Begin told Waldheim: “Lately, Mr. Shaka expressed understanding for an act which every decent human being considers to be an unspeakable atrocity, namely the killing of 34 men, women and children on the main highway from Haifa to Tel Aviv. His activities and incitement have caused unrest and disruption of normal life and public order in Judaea and Samaria.”
Concluding his letter, Begin drew Waldheim’s attention to last Friday’s General Assembly resolution using the phrase “occupied Palestine” three times. “The government of Israel takes exception and protests against this false and misleading term,” Begin 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.
