Israel today sharply rejected here the Soviet Union’s canards about Israeli “colonialism” in Africa, as voiced yesterday in an editorial in the USSR’s official organ, Izvestia, and instead accused the Moscow Government of “new imperialism.”
The reply to Izvestia’s charges was voiced here this morning at a plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly by Ambassador Michael S. Comay, chairman of Israel’s delegation. However, while he threw back at the Kremlin the very term “Trojan horse” used by Izvestia, he did not mention the USSR by name.
Mr. Comay addressed the Assembly in the exercise of his right of reply to various slurs and attacks voiced against Israel here in the last ten days during the Assembly’s debate on colonialism. He also answered charges of Arab delegates, which equated Zionism with colonialism. The labels of “colonialism,” the Israeli diplomat said, “are blatantly meant to influence other new states in Asia and Africa that have no relations with Israel.” Mr. Comay quoted a statement made here two months ago by Israel’s Foreign Minister, Mrs. Golda Meir, who had said:
“We know that is nonsense, the Arabs know it is nonsense and, what is more important, the Africans themselves know it is nonsense. The leaders of African countries are not to be frightened by meaningless slogans. They can be relied upon to Judge their relations with other countries by the behavior of those other countries toward them–and not by propaganda speeches in New York.”
Then, coming directly to the Izvestia editorial, without mentioning it explicitly, Mr. Comay told the Assembly: “It is not Israel but certain other States who profess to be the brothers of the African peoples, but meddle in their affairs and act as Trojan horses for new imperialism. As to who those States are, the African peoples will judge for themselves, in the light of recent experience on their Continent.”
Mr. Comay attacked the anti-Israeli accusations voiced here by the Lebanese delegation. He rejected the charge that Israel treats its Arab citizens as second-class residents, challenging delegates who think so to visit Israel and see for themselves. “Our country is open,” he said, and “anyone is free to visit it and verify the facts.”
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