The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations today asked Secretary of State William P. Rogers to take “prompt action” against Arab countries “that give support or refuge to Palestinian terrorists.” Dr. William A. Wexler, chairman of the Conference, said such sanctions should “include the sealing off from air travel of all such Arab countries” as a way of preventing and punishing in-flight sabotage. He cited the statement by Carl Bartch, State Department spokesman who declared Tuesday that all governments in the Middle East have a responsibility for controlling activities of organizations and individuals operating in or from their territories. This declaration makes it clear Dr. Wexler said, “that our country rejects the claim of Arab governments to escape accountability for the acts of terrorists.” He added that “this position should now be implemented through prompt action by our government through the International Aviation Organization and directly with other governments.”
The Poale Zion-United Labor Zionist Organization called on the international labor movement “to enforce peaceful passage on all airways by refusing to service or fly the aircraft of those countries that continue to shelter and encourage Arab terrorists engaged in hijacking and murder in the air.”
The statement, in a telegram sent to a number of labor leaders throughout the world, by Leo Diesendruck, president, said that “only this drastic step can insure the safety of all air travel to Israel and the world.”
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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.
