Sen. Claiborne Pell, Rhode Island Democrat, told the United States Senate yesterday that the Feb. 21 Swiss air sabotage that killed 47 persons, seven of them U.S. citizens, has “outraged decent opinion the world over” and that such “vicious acts must not be allowed to continue.” He urged the U.S. to consult with other affected countries to consider such “strong measures” as “the immediate suspension of landing rights of airlines based in states which harbor airline saboteurs and hijackers and support them with funds and arms;” an “international airline boycott of these states;” “immediate” aid to provide security for Israel-bound planes, and pleas to airlines that have suspended all flights to Israel to reconsider. Sen. Pell, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the Swiss air tragedy held a “frightening potential for escalation” of Mideast warfare into “the most serious threat to world peace.” and that Israel’s objections are “not to be taken lightly.” The entire situation, he declared, is “totally unacceptable.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.