The World Jewish Congress Executive ended its two-day meeting here last Friday by adopting a resolution expressing “total solidarity with the State and people of Israel in its struggle to attain peace and security for their country.”
The resolution stated that “The Jews of the world recognize that Israel’s current military operations in Lebanon ore not in pursuit of conquest but are an exercise of the right of self-defense in the face of continued attacks against its citizens with a heavy toll of life, and to remove the further threat to the country’s existence.”
Noting that “the formerly peaceful, prosperous and independent state of Lebanon has, in 1970 and again in 1975, been taken over by foreign forces which turned the country into a battleground” and a “haven for terrorists,” the resolution expressed “strong indignation at the widespread distortion of Israel’s objectives and of the facts of the military operation, propagated and promoted by governments and media in many countries.”
WELCOMES ISRAEL’S ‘CLEAR POLICY’
Continuing, the resolution stated: “Jews throughout the world feel deep sorrow at the human sacrifices in Lebanon, Israeli and Arab alike. It must be noted, however, that Lebanese civilian causalities largely result from the deliberate policy of the PLO of placing its military installations and forces in the midst of civilian quarters. We welcome the clear policy of the government of Israel to assist in restoring full sovereignty to Lebanon and to make possible the restoration of normal civilian life in that country and the establishment of peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon.
“We hope that out of all this suffering, the world will now seize the opportunity and give its full support to the search for a solution of the problems of the Middle East which will not only provide for the peace and security of Israel but for the realization of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”
Earlier in the meeting of the Executive, WJC president Edgar Bronfman said now that Israel had broken the back of the PLO through its offensive in Lebanon it should face up to the Palestinian problem and seek peace with the Arabs.
The Executive also dissociated itself from the statement issued here a week earlier by Nohum Goldmann and Philip Klutznick, both past presidents of the WJC, and former French Premier Pierre-Mendes France, calling upon Israel to lift its siege of Beirut and for mutual Israeli-Palestinian recognition.
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.
