It is “a calumny to say that Israelis are influencing American Jews to vote one way or another in this (Presidential) election,” it was asserted today by Ted Lurie, editor of the Jerusalem Post. “We are not interested in the American election,” he told a luncheon audience at the Overseas Press Club, explaining that it does not matter who is elected “as long as support of Israel is in the best interests of American foreign policy.”
Asked by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency if he thought President Anwar Sadat of Egypt cares who wins in Nov., Lurie said he had heard remarks by some Arabs–not necessarily representative–that “Nixon is regarded as a very good friend in Egypt and Lebanon.” Lurie added: “I suppose he (Sadat) has been told that the present President is likely to be the next President.”
On the Middle East. Lurie said that the most welcome development since the 1967 war was that “the Fatah have failed.” He noted: “There is no real, substantial anti-Israel underground in Israel or Israel-held territory.” The New York-born journalist who settled in Palestine in 1930, and has been editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post since 1955, rejected charges of “jackboot” Israeli domination of the administered areas.
LIMITED PRESS CENSORSHIP IN ISRAEL
“We want to change the status quo in Gaza,” Lurie said, but in the sense of “integrating” facilities and instituting “law and order.” The situation there now is “tolerable–and it wasn’t two years ago,” he maintained. He noted that 152,000 Arabs visited Israel this summer under the “open bridges” policy.
Lurie admitted that there is press censorship in Israel, but said it was limited to sensitive military matters, was “legal, enforced by law” and was “partially voluntary” on the press’ part. “It’s not in any way a political censorship,” he stressed, Lurie added, however, that he thought it was a “mistake” for American papers to strive to publish the Pentagon Papers, maintaining that Israeli editors would be “more responsive to the security interests of the State.”
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