Israel Urges Governments Not to Surrender to Terrorist Extortion

The Israel government urged other governments tonight “not to surrender to extortion by terrorist organizations” if terrorist outrages are to be curbed. A sharply worded statement to that effect was issued by the Cabinet this evening, several hours after the announcement that eight Black September terrorists who murdered two American diplomats and one Belgian envoy in Khartoum Friday had surrendered to Sudanese authorities.

The Cabinet statement broke the official silence that Israel had maintained since Thursday when the heavily armed Black Septembrists shot their way into the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Khartoum and seized three Western diplomats and two Arab envoys who were attending a reception there.

The only Israeli statement until today was a brief message of condolence which Foreign Minister Abba Eban sent to U.S. Secretary of State William P. Rogers over the deaths of the two Americans, Ambassador Cleo-A. Noel. Jr. and U.S. Embassy Counselor George C. Moore. The third victim, Belgian Charge d’Affaires Guy Eid, was reported earlier to have been spared when the two Americans were shot.

Today’s Cabinet statement contained additional condolences to the American and Belgian governments. It stated that the Khartoum episode provided “additional evidence of the murderous nature of the terrorist and sabotage organizations” and noted: “These organizations not only show total disregard of all human standards in their decisions and operations but also aim to torpedo every chance of progress toward peace between the Arab states and Israel.”

LEGAL, SECURITY MEASURES, COULD CHECK TERROR

The Israeli statement warned: “The terrorists threaten the peace of each and every country, undermining the sovereign interests even of Arab states. Their activities could be checked were the necessary security and legal measures to be instituted by the countries of the world, including the Arab states–each country for itself, in cooperation with the world community.” The statement called “on all governments of the world not to surrender to extortion by the terrorist organizations and to do everything possible to prevent their activities.”

Apart from the Cabinet statement, Israeli circles here laid a large measure of the blame for the latest terrorist outrages on what they called the acquiescence of some Western European governments to terrorist blackmail.

“There is the feeling that the Western European governments have, by their very acts of acquiescence to terrorist blackmail, increased the chances of terrorist activities,” the circles said. “By their weak-kneed reactions they have created an incentive to terrorism. Where the resistance to terrorism has been adamant, this has acted as a deterrent to terrorism.” No Western European governments were named.

International bodies were also blamed for not-acting strongly enough against international terrorism. Circles here noted that last Dec. the United Nations General Assembly blocked American and Western proposals for punishment or extradition of international terrorists and voted instead for Arab proposals to study the question.