The organized Jewish community will not interfere with the government’s efforts to free Belgian hostages, even if it requires the release of a Palestinian terrorist serving a life sentence for murdering a Jewish boy.
That position was stated by Lazard Perez, president of the Coordinating Committee of Belgian Jewish Organizations.
In an interview with the European Jewish Press Agency, which publishes a daily Jewish news bulletin here, Perez made it clear that Belgian Jews will not take to the streets in protest.
“The Jewish community will not stand in the way of the policy that is followed by the Belgian government in order to find a solution to the hostage issue,” Perez said.
“Even if we believe this to be an issue of an immoral nature, deals over the murderer of Jewish children, we do not want to be considered an obstacle, and therefore we do not want to intervene officially,” the community leader explained.
The Jewish community is nevertheless deeply disturbed that the Belgian authorities are negotiating with the notorious Fatah Revolutionary Council, the group led by arch-terrorist Abu Nidal.
Only two weeks ago, Belgium’s justice minister assured the Jewish community that no such negotiations were taking place.
The Abu Nidal organization is reportedly holding four Belgians hostage, all members of the Houtekins-Kets family, who were allegedly seized at sea in their pleasure boat in the eastern Mediterranean in November 1987. Three other members of the family were recently released.
‘GREEN LIGHT’ FROM THE JEWS
Abu Nidal is reported to have said he will release them if Belgium first frees Said Nasser, a member of his gang who attacked a group of Jewish schoolboys with hand grenades in July 1979 as the youths were boarding a bus in Antwerp, bound for summer camp.
A 14-year-old boy was killed and several other children were wounded in the attack.
Nasser was tried and sentenced to death in 1980. Under Belgian law, death sentences are automatically commuted to life imprisonment, and prisoners serving life terms become eligible for parole after 20 years.
Nasser will complete his 10th year in prison in July, and speculation is rife that he will be released at that time.
But the Abu Nidal gang insists that he be set free immediately, to demonstrate that the Belgian government is bowing to its demands.
The Belgian Radio has interpreted Perez’ remarks as a “green light” from the Jewish community to free Nasser.
“Jewish ethics stresses the primacy of safeguarding the lives of hostages in every circumstance,” Perez said.
He added, “Inasmuch as Belgian law allows for the freeing of the murderer in about two months, we are not prepared to make demonstrations in the streets or put any obstacle in the way of freeing the hostages.”
Perez succeeded the late Dr. Joseph Wybran, whose murder in October 1989 remains unsolved.
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.
