Premier Menachem Begin said today the Cabinet would discuss at its meeting next Sunday the idea that Israel give refuge to ship-bound Vietnamese refugees. The idea was raised earlier this week by “peace pilot. Abie Nathan in a telegram to Begin. It has since been publicly espoused by Social Betterment Minister Israel Katz of the Democratic Movement.
Katz said today that Israel should offer a home for these refugees and thus serve as an example to the entire world of how a nation that has itself suffered persecution responds when it is in a position to aid other victims of persecution. Soon after taking office in the summer of 1977, the Begin government allowed into Israel close to 100 Vietnamese refugees, many of whom have settled here permanently.
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