The Council of Europe, Western Europe’s advisory parliament, began a three-day series of meetings today devoted to Soviet Jewry, the Middle East situation and Lebanon. Currently, some 95 West European parliamentarians, members of the Israel-Europe Parliamentary Friendship Group, will meet to demonstrate their support for the Jewish State.
Members of the Council representing all political parties and groups have drawn up a draft resolution calling on the Soviet government to “open its gates” and halt its anti-Semitic persecutions. The draft resolution, which will be voted upon this evening, stresses that the condition of Soviet Jews has become “more serious” as a result of the UN General Assembly vote of last November equating Zionism with racism.
Today’s special Council session will be attended by a four-man Knesset delegation led by Menachem Beigin. The Knesset delegation will also attend the “Israeli-Europe Parliamentary Friendship Group” scheduled for tomorrow. This session will be attended by representatives of 13 West European parliaments who are due to call for a tightening of links between Europe and Israel.
On Friday, the Council of Europe will hold a one-day political debate devoted to the Eastern Mediterranean. Lebanon and the Middle East. A draft resolution drawn up by an Austrian parliamentarian, Frantz Karasek, condemns terrorism and violence and stresses that what has happened in Lebanon shows the urgent need to support Israel and strengthen Europe’s ties with it.
The resolution says “The Council has been shocked by the scandalous resolution adopted by the United Nations last November (the resolution on Zionism) and wishes to express its solidarity with the Jewish people which, more than any other nation, has been a victim of racism.” The Council of Europe has an advisory voice in Western European affairs but is due to assume an even larger legislative role and eventually serve as Western Europe’s elected parliament.
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