The Israeli delegate to the International Labor Organization (ILO) annual conference here was prevented from speaking yesterday when the Arab delegations created pandemonium in the meeting hall.
Gideon Ben Israel, who represents Histadrut, rose to speak on a point of order in reply to charges by the Jordanian delegate that the Israeli government was responsible for the June 2 bomb attacks which maimed two West Bank mayors. Ben Israel declared that Jordan could not accuse the Israelis of an act which was deplored by Premier Menachem Begin, especially as the perpetrators of the outrage have not been identified yet.
But the Israeli was unable to continue. The Arab delegates began to pound their desks and shout making it impossible to hear him. When the tumult abated, Ben Israel said, “I thank my Arab colleagues for their kind applause. I have all the time in the world to wait until they calm down.” The American delegate deplored the fact that the ILO conference once again has become an arena for political debates.
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