Herzog Refutes Idea That Gaza Strip Refugees Should Return to Camps

Israel displayed photographs at a press conference here today showing new housing for Arab refugees in the Gaza Strip compared to the hovels in which they have been living in the refugee camps there. The display was Israel’s response to the resolution adopted by the Special Political Committee last week calling on Israel “to take effective steps immediately for the return of the refugees to the camps from which they have been removed in the Gaza Strip.”

Israel and Costa Rica were the only countries to vote against the resolution which is expected to be adopted by a large majority when it is introduced in the General Assembly soon.

Addressing the press conference, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Chaim Herzog, said the resolution illustrated “the highest absurdity” of what is currently happening at the UN. He said that Israel has already resettled 4000 Arab refugee families, who had lived under sub-human conditions in the camps, in modern housing in the Gaza Strip.

Herzog said there was a long waiting list for the new housing and disclosed that the Israeli government will be investing about $10 million every year in this rehabilitation program. He said the refugees invested their own money in the housing and received mortgages from the Israeli government.

Herzog noted that today is the first anniversary of the General Assembly’s resolution equating Zionism with racism and that the UN continues its disproportionate preoccupation with Israel. He pointed out that the issue of the administered territories is presently being considered by at least four UN bodies–the Security Council, the Special Political Committee, the Second Committee and the UNESCO meeting in Nairobi where education in the territories is under discussion.

COUNTER-ATTACK IN UN TERMED SUCCESS

Addressing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations yesterday, Herzog said that “Israel’s counter-attack in the UN has been successful.” He expressed appreciation for the Presidents Conference task force that, in the past two weeks, had visited a number of UN Missions to urge them to oppose anti-Israel resolutions. “It really did matter,” Herzog said.

Referring to the resolution adopted yesterday by the General Assembly condemning Israel for “collaboration” with South Africa, the Israeli envoy said: “For example, we know that passages in Mexico’s original statement on the matter were deleted after the Mexican Mission met with the Presidents Conference task force.”

Among the 48 countries that either voted against the resolution or abstained were a number of African and Third World states. In that connection. Herzog expressed gratification than increasing numbers of states were refusing to go along with anti-Israel resolutions in the General Assembly.

He noted that a number of Latin American countries–including Mexico–switched their positions and abstained in the anti-apartheid vote that linked Israel with South Africa. Both Malawi and Fiji, in their statements, condemned the “hypocrisy” of singling out Israel.

Other countries that abstained included Iran, Swaziland and Singapore. The Mexican delegate, Carlos Gutierrez Macias, said his government could not accept the strategy of singling out any one country for alleged economic collaboration with South Africa. J.T.X. Muwamba of Malawi, accused his colleagues who supported the resolution of “double-faced hypocrisy,” noting that “All types of military hardware from both East and West can be found in South Africa.”

Herzog noted that the only one of 10 anti-apartheid resolutions that mentioned Israel found 28 countries abstaining and 20 opposing. This was the largest number of votes against an anti-Israel resolution that has been achieved in some time, he said. He also said that during the debate on apartheid, Israel was not attacked by any African country.