The Knesset last night warned Arab states aiding and harboring terrorists that they would be held fully responsible for terrorist acts against Israel. A resolution to that affect was adopted with no opposing votes and abstentions by only two members of the New Communist faction. The operative paragraph of the resolution states that Israel would take action against such states in the exercise of its right of self defense.
The resolution was passed after a debate during which Premier Golda Meir rejected calls from some Knesset members for immediate retaliation for the massacre at Lydda Airport May 30. Zevulon Hammer, of the National Religious Party, urged Israeli counter-terrorist activities inside the Arab countries sheltering them. Mrs. Meir warned the chamber not to adopt resolutions calling for specific action. She said the public forum of the Knesset was not a suitable place to discuss such plans.
The Premier also sharply rejected contentions by some MKs that security measures at Lydda Airport were defective. She said she knew of no grounds for such criticism. She admitted that Israel was surprised by the methods employed in the Lydda attack and the nature of the perpetrators. But there can be no blaming anyone for it, she said.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.