The Soviet and Ukrainian delegations to the United Nations Human Rights Commission suffered a defeat Saturday when the unit rejected their efforts to delete from its final report a statement by the Israeli delegate attacking the mistreatment of Jews in the Soviet Union. The Communist representatives were obviously disturbed by the statement of Judge Zeev W. Zeltner of Tel Aviv which contrasted the rights granted all ethnic minorities in the USSR with the repression of Jews and demanded that if Soviet Jews “cannot live like Jews” in Russia, “let them find a haven elsewhere.” The statement charged the USSR with violating the Human Rights Convention.
The Soviet delegate demanded that the statement be deleted from the final report. Failing that, he insisted that direct references to the Soviet Union be deleted and that the statement be ascribed to his author because “my countrymen ought to know who smears them.” Judge Zeltner and his colleague, Meir Rosenne, argued that such a procedure would be contrary to the time-honored reporting system of the various UN bodies. When the vote was taken, the Soviet proposal for deletion was defeated seven to six with nine abstentions; the second Soviet proposal was beaten six to five with 11 abstentions. Voting against deletion in addition to Israel were the United States, Britain, France, New Zealand, Morocco and Jamaica. The Commission’s report will be submitted to the Economic and Social Council and eventually to the General Assembly with Judge Zeltner’s statement intact.
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