Foreign Minister Abba Eban stated today that “we were gravely concerned to hear this morning that the Greek government had released seven Arab terrorists who had been detained in Greek jails.” Mr., Eban said that ever since the government of Israel became aware of the Greek government’s intention to “surrender to extortionists and to release the terrorists, we approached the Greek government a number of times with the vigorous demand not to surrender to such extortion.” By releasing the terrorists the Greek government “assumed a very heavy responsibility since the terrorists have declared that they will persist in attacking Israeli citizens and property abroad,” Mr. Eban declared. “The government of Israel is alert to this responsibility assumed by the Greek government.” Israelis recalled that the terrorists have been convicted and sentenced to various prison terms for killing an Israeli engineer and a Greek child, injuring many others and trying to blow up an Israeli aircraft in Athens. In Tel Aviv, Histadrut protested against the release and sent a cable to the International Union of Transport Workers in London stressing that the release of plane hijackers and attackers of planes and airline offices would encourage repetition of such acts and endanger passengers and crews.
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