Dr. Mark Henry Jacobus, a British Jew who came to this country in August to lecture at the Hebrew University, has been prevented by the government from leaving the country, he charged last night at a conference with a group of British journalists.
Israeli authorities, meanwhile, said that “we had good grounds for detaining Jacobus.” They also promised that a full statement would be issued shortly.
Dr. Jacobus, a psychologist, served with the Israeli Army in the capacity of an advisor to its officer selection board when the University closed down as a result of the battle in Jerusalem. He told the newsmen that on December 9 he boarded a ship at Haifa for the journey to Marseilles. Before the vessel sailed, however, a group of security officers in civilian clothes arrested him on “security” grounds.
His passport was taken from him and he was kept in prison for five days until he was recognized by a visiting psychiatrist who arranged for his release. His passport was not returned to him and when he called on the Army commander in Haifa to ask for his documents, Jacobus said, he was turned out of the office. He came to Tel Aviv to protest to higher authorities.
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