The hijacking of an Israeli airliner and the detention of the plane crew and some of its passengers by Algeria brought a demand in Congress today that American economic aid to Algeria be halted and that world lending agencies withhold further loans to the Algerian regime.
Rep. Seymour Halpern, New York Republican, told the House today that “a country that collaborates with air piracy and terrorism should not remain qualified for the direct and indirect financial assistance of International lending agencies.” He termed the Algerian action in detaining some of the passengers, the crew and the El Al plane as an action “worse even than the air hijacking policies of Communist Cuba.” He asserted that “Algeria cannot be permitted to get away in this shocking new case because it will invite a rash of Arab terrorism of the airways.”
The New Yorker said he was initiating a study of “direct and indirect financial assistance flowing to Algeria from the United States and international banking institutions.” He said that until the plane, its crew and passengers were released, the United States should advise its citizens not to travel to Algeria because of that Government’s “Irresponsible policies and collaboration with gangsterism.”
Rep. Dante Fascell, Florida Democrat, asked Secretary of State Dean Rusk today to seek an international agreement to discourage hijacking of airplanes. He said in a letter to Mr. Rusk that the proposed pact should bind all signatories to return promptly all hijacked aircraft, passengers and crew and the hijacker to the nation from which the plane departed.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
