The Middle East debate opened here this morning in the General Assembly with a harsh and uncompromising speech by Syrian Ambassador Mouaffak el Allaf who declared that Syria will not accept any new negotiations concerning UN peace-keeping forces unless they include the Palestinian question. He said that was the reason Syria agreed last night to the extension of the UN Disengagement Observer Force on the Golan Heights.
Allaf criticized Israel for regarding the extension of UNDOF as an end in itself rather than as a step toward a lasting peace in the Middle East. He said UNDOF would not serve as an international occupation force providing a “protective line for the Zionist aggressive forces.” The mandate, he added, “will not be extended ad infinitum and it will not be an automatic practice, sufficient for Israel to press a button so that this may take place.”
The Syrian Ambassador charged that the United States was pouring arms and economic aid into Israel and criticized what he said was the American threat to withdraw from the UN if anti-Israel actions are taken. He urged the U.S. to influence Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories and recognize the rights of the Palestinians. He reiterated the Syrian position that a solution can be found in the Mideast only if Israel withdraws totally from all occupied Arab territories and Palestinian rights are recognized.
Noting that the General Assembly declared Zionism to be a form of racism, Allaf said that “the racist Zionism” denies the right of the Palestinians and said that Israel had been implanted in the heart of the Arab world as the result of “an unholy alliance between the forces of imperialism and the world Zionist movement.”
Because of the lack of speakers, the Mideast debate was cancelled for this afternoon and will resume tomorrow. Israel is listed among the speakers in the Assembly tomorrow. The European Economic Community, made up of nine European countries, will make a common statement tomorrow to be given by the Italian representative.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
