Weizman Warns Israel May Retaliate Against Further Terrorist Attacks on Airliners

Transport Minister Ezer Weizman warned yesterday that further Arab terrorist attacks on civilian airliners can be expected and if they do occur, Israel “may lose patience and retaliate.” Gen. Weizman, a former commander of the Israel Air Force who joined the cabinet as a member of the nationalist Herut faction, said attacks on Israeli planes and on planes of other airlines serving Israel could affect many branches of Israel’s economy. He said the State would not be able to tolerate such a situation “and we shall have to do something about it.” Gen. Weizman addressed the opening session of the 12th annual aeronautical and astronautical conference at the Tel Aviv Hilton. Referring to Arab air terrorism, the latest of which took 47 lives in the crash of a Swiss air jet bound for Israel Feb. 21, he said the world “must realize we are not dealing with fighters but with murderers.” He said, “We are very patient, but if we lose our patience, then the angry Israeli will appear.”

(The French newspaper Le Figaro published an interview yesterday with a spokesman for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine who pledged that his group would continue its assaults on aircraft serving Israel. The Popular Front claimed credit for the Swiss air disaster. A hasty disclaimer was issued by the Arab guerrilla coalition in Amman of which the Front is a constituent.) Gen. Weizman told his audience that Israeli technology demonstrated its ability to create a superb air force and also had the ability to produce tools for it. He said the strengthening of Israel’s Air Force contributed to the development of the aircraft industry generally and to electronics and other fields of research.