Prime Minister Levi Eshkol declared here yesterday that it was the world’s responsibility to punish the acts of aggression constantly being committed against Israel and if the world failed, Israel could not shun its responsibility to protect the life, liberty and property of its citizens.
Mr. Eshkol spoke before the American Histadrut campaign study mission here. His obvious reference was to the hijacked Israeli airliner that has been held in Algeria since July 23 with 12 Israeli passengers and crew members, and to the terrorist raids and acts of sabotage against Israeli territory by Arab guerrillas, abetted by Arab governments. He likened the present wave of “murder, hijacking and kidnapping” to the chain of events that led up to the June, 1967 Six-Day War. “Everybody was sympathetic while we were threatened but nothing was done to alleviate the threat.” Mr. Eshkol said. Refer- ring to the hijacked plane, he declared that there was “not the slightest excuse to harbor stolen goods and kidnapped people.” Mr. Eshkol said that Israel’s co-existence and confrontation with the Arabs depends, in the final analysis, on Israel’s numerical strength. He called on Diaspora Jews to supply both people and the means to help Israel meet its challenges.
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