The American Jewish Committee will recommend here tomorrow a series of planks to the Democratic National Platform Committee on United States policy in the Middle East, the situation of Jews in Soviet Russia and Poland and problems arising from the urban and racial crises at home. The proposals are scheduled to be presented by AJCommittee president Morris B. Abram.
The proposed plank on Middle East policy will urge the United States Government “to make it unmistakably clear to the Arab states that we support without qualification, Israel’s right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries.” The Abram statement also will propose United States support of the stand that there should be no withdrawal of Israel from present cease-fire lines until the Arab states “have renounced all claims of belligerence, including economic boycotts and restrictions on Israeli shipping, and have binding treaties with Israel.” Mr. Abram also was scheduled to urge the Democrats to “affirm that Jerusalem should remain a unified city in which the legitimate interests of all concerned can be satisfied within the framework of an over-all Arab-Israeli peace settlement.” Also to be proposed will be generous aid for constructive efforts to solve the Arab refugee problem but opposition to United States aid to Iraq, Syria and Egypt until they cease harassing their Jewish communities.
The platform committee will be asked also to adopt a pledge to ask the Polish Government to “facilitate the emigration of those Jews who indicate a desire to go to the United States, or other countries,” as well as a platform declaration to the Soviet Government calling on it to allow Russian Jews the same freedom to practice their faith and develop their culture granted other minorities by the Soviet Constitution. The proposed declaration would also ask Soviet Premier Kosygin to keep his promise to allow Soviet Jews to emigrate for re-union with families abroad.
Other AJCommittee proposals would pledge the Federal Government to set up a national institute of intergroup relations to coordinate all efforts on intergroup and human relations problems; to create a social advisors council to act on human relations matters as the Council of Economic Advisors does on economic problems; and to pledge Federal funds for a massive voter registration drive aimed at all groups of Americans. On law enforcement, Mr. Abram will propose greater governmental support of activities to advance community relations functions in urban police departments, including creation of a national police college to grant professional degrees to law enforcement officers.
The platform committee heard testimony today from Frank C, Sakran, executive secretary of the American Council of the Middle East, urging that the Israel-Arab issue should be kept out of the platform because “a nuclear holocaust” might occur in the region. He said the situation was “so tense” that American political leaders should avoid mentioning the problem. L. Humphrey Walz of New York, speaking for the American Committee for Justice in the Middle East, asked the platform committee to endorse the Nov, 22, 1967 Security Council resolution on the mideast, a resolution which has been subject to widely differing interpretations. Mr. Walz has advocated the Arab position before various forums.
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