Israel Minister Warns Press Against Publishing Security Secrets

Justice Minister Yaacov Shapiro affirmed today the Government’s determination to continue to take strong action against all persons, journalists or others, who publish classified security matters.

He disclosed, during an appearance on a Kol Israel radio program that a third person, whose identity he did not reveal, was being held in jail without public knowledge of his arrest, trial and sentencing. The disclosure last month that two editors of the sensationalist weekly, “Bul,” had been secretly arrested, tried, convicted and jailed on such charges stirred sharp controversy.

In his defense of the Government’s stand, the Minister said he would not be deterred from drastic action by criticisms such as those following the disclosure of the “Bul” editors’ arrests. He stressed that such special legal procedures were necessary because of Israel’s delicate security position.

Another censorship issue was disclosed today in Parliament which involved intervention in an article about former Premier David Ben-Gurion in the Hebrew Encyclopedia. The issue was raised in a Knesset plenary session by Mrs. E. Raziel-Naor of the Gahal faction. The article was written by Prof. Isaiah Leibowitz. Mrs. Raziel-Naor also said that the censorship office had changed an article about the pre-state Jewish community in Palestine.

Minister Shapiro noted that the publishers of the encyclopedia had not supported the complaint of intervention and suggested that a personal grievance by Prof. Leibowitz might be the issue. At his suggestion the question was referred to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee. There he will presumably reveal the substance of the cuts or changes which neither he nor Mrs. Raziel-Naor reported to the plenary.