Blum Says Apartheid Issue Used As Smokescreen to Attack Israel

Yehuda Blum, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, charged here that the issue of apartheid is being used to single out Israel for condemnation over allegations of military and commercial involvements with South Africa that have been shown by Israel, time and again, to be groundless.

Addressing the 33rd General Assembly last Friday “On the Question of Apartheid, ” Blum referred to the Nov. 20th report by the Special Committee Against Apartheid which contains a paragraph entitled “Recent Developments in the Relations Between Israel and South Africa.”

In his speech, the Israeli envoy recalled that “in 1976, against the strong opposition of many members here, the Arab states and their supporters forced through a special resolution singling out Israel for having relations with South Africa, a proposition so absurd and derisive that it severely undermined the very purpose of the annual debate on apartheid.

“But the issue of apartheid was not then, nor is it now, the real concern of the sponsors of that special resolution,” Blum declared. “Over the opposition of many African members and others throughout the world, they subverted every forum and debate in their frenzied campaign to accumulate as many anti-Israel resolutions as they could.”

Blum stated that “it should not be necessary to reaffirm our credentials. For the position of the government of Israel with regard to apartheid remains unchanged and indeed our position as a people has remained consistent for more than 3000 years. The basic tenets of Judaism as enshrined in the Bible are totally irreconcilable with any form of racism and racial discrimination, “he said.

NO NUCLEAR COLLABORATION

The Israeli diplomat said that Israel has denied, in the past and “for the record…again categorically denied the implied allegation about nuclear collaboration” with South Africa. He noted that while Section III of the report is entitled “Military and Nuclear Collaboration, “there is “not a word” about nuclear collaboration in that section “for the simple reason that such collaboration does not exist.”

With respect to charges that Israel trades with South Africa, Blum observed that “we have never hidden or denied our policy and we have always maintained that (trade) relations with governments which have different policies and ideologies in no way imply acquiescence in those ideologies.” He pointed out that ” figures relating to trade can be learned from official international publications which reveal that Israel’s trade with South Africa still constitutes no more than 2/5 of I percent of the latter’s foreign trade.”

Blum said that Israel would be prepared to discuss its economic links with South Africa “on the simple proviso that precisely the same standards be applied to every state represented here. If it is economic ties to South Africa that are at issue, let us receive a full account of all trade, investment, tourism, gold purchases, oil supplies and visits, both overt and covert and let us then vote on a separate resolution for every country found to maintain such links.”