Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Yosef Tekoah today told Secretary-General U Thant that Arabs in Israeli-held territories were treated better than Jews in Arab states. Mr. Tekoah conferred with Mr. Thant at Mr. Tekoah’s request and reiterated Israel’s position that a special UN mission to investigate the situation of civilians in the occupied territories must also look into the situation of Jews in Egypt, Syria and Lebanon. There is no Jordanian Jewish community.
The Israeli told Mr. Thant, sources said, that the Arabs in the occupied territories were free to talk with journalists and visitors, and can keep in contact with the outside world, whereas Jews in the Arab states were kept isolated from the world. He said that the human rights of those Jews had been tragically abused.
Mr. Tekoah’s meeting with Mr. Thant followed the submission of a letter to the latter by Israel yesterday alleging maltreatment of Jews in Iraq. He presented Mr. Thant with a second note today dealing with Jews of Egypt, Syria and Jordan.
(It was reported this week from Jerusalem that Egypt’s refusal to permit a UN envoy to probe the condition of that country’s Jewish community has been responsible for Mr. Thant’s delay in naming a special envoy to report on civilian populations in the Israel-administered territories. Mr. Thant announced his intention to nominate a special representative on the eve of the reconvening of the General Assembly last spring. The mission would be based on humanitarian resolutions voted by the General Assembly and Security Council.)
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