Criticism of the appointment by Greece of a Greek Jew to represent this’ country as its envoy at Tel Aviv, has been warmly answered by Foreign Minister Constantine Tsaldaris in the Chamber of Deputies.
On being questioned on the appointment, Tsaldaris upheld the selection of Dr. Joseph Mallah, adding: “this appointment was dictated by special reasons aiming at the better service of our interests in the new state.” Mr. Tsaldaris praised Dr. Mallah’s experience and recalled many services rendered by him to Greece. “Our longstanding liberal traditions of avoiding any religious or racial discrimination could not be ignored at this moment.”
Mr. Tsaldaris went on to say that the mission of Dr. Mallah was only temporary and defined these points as its objectives: one, the establishment of diplomatic relations with the new state; “two, the development of trade between the countries; three, the protection of Greek subjects, in Israel, most of them Jewish, He added that the settlement of the future status of “Palestine was not a matter to be examined within the framework of Greek-Israel relations. As a matter of International interest, the question should be decided by special international bodies, he suggested.
The New Party, a bloc which has opposed the present Greek Government since its leader was ousted from the coalition cabinet, and its newspaper, Estia, have been conducting a violent attack on “Mr. Mallah ever since his name was first mentioned for the post. Estia described the former Greek representative at the League of Nations as a “Jew merchant of Salonika who will give orders to our Christian diplomatic employees.”
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