Israel’s side of the case it has brought against Bulgaria, at the International Court of Justice here, will be formally argued tomorrow, when oral presentations will be made before the full Court by Shabtai Rosenne, principal legal officer of the Israel Foreign Ministry.
The case, which arose out of Bulgaria’s gunfire attack against an E1 A1 Israel plane in 1955 causing a loss of 58 lives, has been pending for over two years before the Court. Israel claims monetary damages of $7,462, 803.
The court adjourned last night until tomorrow morning, after Bulgaria had completed its oral defense in arguments by its delegation head, Nissim Mevorach, a Bulgarian Jew, and Pierre Cot, a Communist attorney from Paris hired by the Bulgarian Government. The points made by the spokesmen for Bulgaria were as follows:
1) The court has no jurisdiction over the case, because Bulgaria was not yet a member of the United Nations in 1955, at the time of the plane incident.
2) Even if the court should reject Bulgaria’s claim of non-jurisdiction, the Bulgarians hold that they are entitled to “reciprocal” damages from Israel.
3) If there is a case at all, it should be brought before a Bulgarian court, because it is an “internal” Bulgarian matter.
4) Israel’s claim for damages is invalid because it was computed by an insurance company, and not by Israeli nationals.
5) The entire case constitutes “interferences” in Bulgaria’s internal affairs.
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