State Department Report Shows Anti-jewish Attacks ‘most Lethal’

An intelligence evaluation by the State Department Office for Combatting Terrorism (OCT) shows that terrorist attacks against Jews and Israelis “have been more lethal than other terrorism” and that “over three-quarters of the attacks were carried out by Palestinians.”

This report was provided to the World Jewish Congress by Frank Perez, the director of the OCT and was released here by Rabbi Arthur Schneier, chairman of the WJC-American Section. The report covers incidents during the past two years. Perez had originally presented the report at a closed session of the WJC European Branch meeting a week ago, which was attended by the leadership of 16 European Jewish communities.

In his report, Perez disclosed the following:

* OCT records from January 1981 until September 1982 contain 104 international terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish interests. This does not include domestic attacks in Israel or on the West Bank.

* Attacks against Israeli and Jewish interests have occurred in 26 countries during the last two years, with over 20 percent of the attacks in France and Italy.

* Over three-quarters of the attacks were carried out by Palestinians, but terrorists from Guatemala, Colombia, France, West Germany, Italy, Greece, and Japan carried out attacks against Israelis and Jews worldwide.

* About half of the attacks were targeted against Israeli citizens or facilities, but Jews from 17 countries have been attacked by Palestinian terrorists primarily because they are Jews.

* Attacks against Jews and Israelis have been more lethal than other terrorism. Almost 60 percent involved attacks on people rather than property and about 65 percent of the incidents intended to cause casualties.

* About 400 people have been wounded and 25 killed in these attacks. Almost half of all attacks against Jews and Israelis have occurred in Western Europe.

Schneier, who attended the WJC European Branch meeting, said on his return to the United States that the climate within which West European Jewish communities find themselves ranges from “uneasiness, to insecurity, to fear.” He added that the situation required “vigilance of Jewish communities throughout the world and this therefore places particular responsibility on the largest Jewish community — American Jewry.”

He noted however, that ultimately, the security and well-being of European Jews, and indeed all minorities in Europe, must be the responsibility of the respective governments. “It is a matter of self-interest: governments must recognize that attacks upon Jews ultimately will lead to destabilization of democratic institutions,” Schneier concluded.