Details of the German reparations proposal to Israel were revealed at a press conference here today by Gershon Avner, member of the Israeli delegation to the reparations talks. He said that the proposal, accepted as a basis for the resumption of reparations discussions, calls for the Germans to pay Israel the equivalent of $715,000,000, chiefly in goods, over a period of 12 years.
Mr. Avner said that the offer provides that Israel is to receive 400,000,000 deutschemarks (approximately $100,000,000) within 18 months. Although the exact types and quantities of products are to be settled by negotiation, the goods will not be restricted to German manufactures and may include products made in other countries. Mr. Avner revealed that the Germans had proposed that they offer an additional sum to Israel to cover the global claims of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims, and that the Conference and Israel decide between themselves how the total should be divided.
Dr. F. Shinnar, another member of the Israel delegation, said that Israel has accepted the principle of receiving payment of the global claims and has already reached agreement with the conference on the matter. He added that under no circumstances would such agreement effect individual Jewish claims against Germany. He also revealed that the latest German offer is in no way conditioned on the results of the London debt conference.
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