A bloc of Christian deputies in the Lebanese parliament plans to ask the government to intervene to secure the release of Albert Elia, president of Beirut’s Jewish community, who was kidnapped Sept. 6 from the Lebanese capital by Syrian agents and is being held at a tight security prison near Damascus. According to the Beirut newspaper, Lissanne el Halle, the group known as Phalange, headed by Pierre Gemayal, plans to introduce a parliamentary question on the Ella affair. It will ask the government to approach “whatever Arab state may hold Mr. Elia” in order to assure his prompt release.
The Phalangists belong to the political party that represents Lebanon’s Christian majority. According to the newspaper, the Syrians kidnapped Elia “after the Lebanese Jewish community aided Jews residing in other Arab countries to emigrate to Europe and America.” The Phalangists maintain that Elia’s behavior violated no Lebanese laws inasmuch as “travel by Jews or members of other communities is not subject to particular conditions or restrictions,” the newspaper report said.
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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.
