Israel Parliament Recesses; Premier Reports on Arab Sabotage

The Israel Parliament has recessed until after the Jewish High Holidays. At the closing session, Joseph Sprinzak, Speaker of the Parliament, extended New Year’s greetings to “the people of Israel and the Jewish people throughout the world” and expressed the hope that the new Jewish year, which starts on September 20, would be one of “internal peace and unification of all constructive forces for the development and stabilization of Israel, as well as peace with our neighbors.”

Premier David Ben Gurion, speaking at the concluding session, reported that 62 Israelis were killed by Arab marauders, 110 were wounded and 29 kidnapped during the year. He said that during the past 12 months, 1,518 raids into Israel took place for the purposes of robbery. Since the conclusion of the Israel-Arab war, he added, 200 murders and attempted murders have been perpetrated by “infiltrees.”

In addition, 192 acts of sabotage, principally the cutting of telephone wires, took place during the year in the Arab triangle, the Jerusalem corridor and the Gaza areas. Mr. Ben Gurion said one of the main reasons for infiltration into Israel was for the purpose of smuggling goods and currency. Arab villages in the triangle area, he stated, are smuggling centers and are engaged in smuggling cigarettes, nylon stockings and fountain pens into Israel as well as bringing flour, medicaments and gasoline out of Israel.

The Premier reported that there were 459 incidents of infiltrators opening fire on Israel forces, including 68 incidents involving regular Arab forces who fired on Israelis. Hundreds of thousands of Arab refugees live on the other side of Israels borders, Mr. Ben Gurion said, and they are continuously being urged by the Arab states to sabotage and kill Israelis in frontier violations. In addition, many infiltrators seek to enter Israel of their own will in order to murder, loot or smuggle, he declared.

Mr. Ben Gurion then called attention to infiltrators who try to move from Gaza to Hebron, or from the Arab triangle area to Lebanon. When caught, he said, these Arabs are usually turned back by Israel’s forces, but they often try to cross again, and frequently they desire to be imprisoned in Israel’s jails, where conditions are better than in the camps across the border.

“Just as Jewish citizens of Israel cannot meet their relatives across the border, so must our Arab citizens realize that they cannot meet their relatives across the border until peace between Israel and her neighbors is restored and normal relations are resumed,” he stated. “We know that our Arab citizens are not responsible for the fact that the Arab governments refuse to make peace with Israel, but as citizens who have all privileges they must also bear the same responsibilities, and they cannot do anything which undermines and endangers the peace of the state. Aid to infiltrators is a grave crime, a crime against the state’s security and the state will punish such crimes severely.” he emphasized.