Arab and Communist delegations attending a UNESCO conference here plan to call on the international organization to fight “Zionism to the same extent as racism, apartheid and war propaganda.” The conference is drawing up draft resolutions for the general conference due to take place October, 1976 in Nairobi. Its resolutions will deal with the fight against racism, apartheid and war propaganda in the mass media.
At the opening session today, the Algerian delegation called on the conference to adopt amendments making the fight against Zionism mandatory. The delegate said, “Israel is an imperialist state, it is ruled by Zionist ideology which is comparable to apartheid and war propaganda.”
This stand was supported by Iraq and the delegate from Byelorussia. Actual amendments will be presented tomorrow when Israel will reply. This is the first time since UNESCO adopted anti-Israeli resolutions last and that an Israeli delegation attended a UNESCO-sponsored conference.
Most of the interest in the UNESCO building centered, however, on the resignation of a senior official, Joel Blocker, UNESCO’s director of information. Blocker, 41, a former Newsweek staffer, wrote UNESCO’s Director General Amadou M’Bow of Senegal to say he is resigning to protest the organization’s anti-Israel resolutions and the General Assembly’s decision to equate, Zionism with racism. Blocker said his resignation will become effective Dec. 31.
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