French authorities plan to enforce exceptionally stringent security measures during Israeli Premier Golda Meir’s trip here this weekend. Hundreds of uniformed and plainclothes police have been brought to the capital to ensure the Israeli Premier’s personal security. The newly-formed special anti-terrorist squad has been put on full-time alert, and will be deployed along Mrs. Meir’s route.
Policede-mining experts are carefully checking the French Senate Building, the site of the Socialist conference, for possible mines or explosives. The Premier’s hotel is being kept secret and Israeli and French officials refuse to reveal the exact time of her arrival. She is expected to arrive Friday and to return to Israel on Sunday.
During her two-day stay, Mrs. Meir will also meet with members of the Jewish community, have Friday night dinner with the Embassy staff and confer with “old friends,” French political personalities from the former “olden days” of Franco-Israeli friendship. Saturday, the Israeli. Premier will attend the Socialist International conference together with the premiers of Sweden, Denmark and Austria. Finland’s Premier, Kalevi Sorsa, who was due to attend has decided to cancel his appearance. Mrs. Meir’s stay in Paris may be marred by a number of demonstrations and counter-demonstrations.
Extreme left-wing and pro-Palestinian organizations have called for demonstrations to protest the arrival of “Golda – the hangman of the Palestinian nation.” Leftist demonstrators, led by former May 1968 leader, Alain Getsmar, plan to demonstrate both at Orly Airport and at the Senate Building to protest against what they term Mrs. Meir’s “responsibility” for the death of Palestine Liberation Organization representative in France, Mahmoud el-Hamshari. He died last night at a Paris hospital from blood poisoning caused by injuries sustained when a remote-controlled bomb exploded at his Paris home Dec. 8. Left-wing organizations and a large segment of the French press have claimed that the bomb was planted by “Israeli agents.”
ZIONIST, LEFTIST STUDENTS CLASH
Arab ambassadors in Paris last night issued a joint communique calling upon the police to “bring the culprits to Justice” and reveal the result of the investigation. The Arab ambassadors claim the bomb was planted by “Zionist agents.” Other associations; such as the “Palestine Committee,” the Franco-Arab Friendship Society and the Nordic-Arab Bureau representing Scandinavian countries, have cabled, the French Ministry of the Interior calling for “better protection for Arab and Palestinian personalities” in France. Most of these organizations are also supporting the call for the anti-Israeli demonstrations.
Police fear the demonstrators will clash with a number of Jewish student unions who plan to demonstrate in Israel’s support and against yesterday’s bomb attack at the Jewish Agency building here. The Jewish demonstrators plan to hold their meetings at the same time and places as the pro-Arabs.
Meanwhile, fighting between Zionist and left wing students broke out today at Paris University. There were no arrests and no casualties. The fighting reportedly state at the Business Administration School when left-wing students tried to prevent members of Zionist student groups from posting blue and white leaflets welcoming Mrs. Meir to Paris. The fighting spread to the Medical School and then to the Faculty of Arts. Eye-witnesses told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that no more than 40 students were involved and the university guards managed to break up the scuffle without-having to call the police.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
