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ADL Blames Carter Administration for Retarding Mideast Peace Process

February 6, 1979
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The National Executive of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith adopted a resolution yesterday at the conclusion of its four-day meeting here implicitly accusing the Carter Administration of retarding the peace process in the Middle East by “its policy of exerting pressure on Israel, “and demanded a change.

“Israel has been taking great risks for peace and cannot consider taking further risks while United States pressure on Israel only whets Arab appetites and encourages-hard-line Arab demands, “the resolution stated. “Pressure on Israel is contrary to American national interest, the ADL resolution claimed. It cited the failure of the U.S to prevent “sustained Jordanian and Saudi Arabian opposition to Camp David and the continued rise of the OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) price of oil.

The resolution continued; “We urge President Carter to apply diplomacy forcefully to convince Arab countries to support the peace process by making clear to them that Israel is a fact of life in the Middle East, and all countries in the region will be best served by living together in peace. The turmoil in Iran increases our need for reliable, strong and stable allies in the region. Such on all is Israel, and our government can only undercut Israel’s strength through undue pressure against it.

It also called on Carter to “be more explicit in correcting public statements made by members of his Administration, which in certain instances seam in contradiction with President Carter’s aft-stated support for the security of the Jewish State. One such instance was the recent praise of PLO leader ship by the U.S. representative at the United Nations, without regard to the terrorist and immoral nature of the PLO, long acknowledged by President Carter himself. “The reference was to remarks by Ambassador Andrew Young in ‘an interview in a United Nations magazine last month.

10 YEAR RECORD OF TERROR

At an earlier session of the meeting, the ADL National Executive published a 10-year chronology of terrorist acts by the PLO and called on Carter to repudiate what it regarded as an attempt by Young “to lay the groundwork for U.S. recognition of the PLO and support of its application for regular UN membership.

The chronology covered the period Sept I, 1967-Dec. 31, 1977 during which the PLO was responsible for killing 1131 men, women and children, wounding another 2471 people and detaining 2755 others as hostages, according to the report.

Maxwell E. Greenberg, ADL chairman, said that statistical tables compiled by ADL researchers make clear that “absolutely no one any where is safe from PLO murder and kidnapping gangs. “He referred to 308 bombings in 28 countries; 261 attempted bombings, bomb threats and plots in 26.countries; 180 shootings in II countries; 18 assassinations–including American diplomats in II countries; 19 hijackings in 14 countries or in their air space, six attempted hijackings and 20 other assorted acts at terror in 12 countries.

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