Sen. Charles Percy (R. III.) should “come down from the cloud of propaganda which still envelops him and look at the hard facts,” according to Rep. Sidney Yates (D.III.) dean of the Jewish Congressional delegation.
“I must say to the Senator,” Yates said, “I am surprised that as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee he is not more aware of the harsh realities and sensitive relationships in the Middle East. Making such provocative and ill-advised criticisms of Israel on the eve of sensitive negotiations between the parties could be prejudicial to Israel. The Senator has rendered no constructive service to the cause of peace.”
Yates made the statements that included references to Palestinian terror acts in Europe and in Israel in responding to Percy’s assertions yesterday that terrorism gives a false picture of the Palestinians.
His assertions about Israeli leaders, the Palestine Liberation Organization and its leader, Yasir Arafat, were seen here as another act towards pressuring Israel into accepting the PLO as a negotiator despite Arafat’s statement to the United Nations that the PLO view of Palestine would be to eliminate Israel as a state.
Percy was one of 71 Senators who less than two months ago signed a letter and sent it to President Ford asking him to resolutely oppose recognition of the PLO in any way. That letter outlined Arafat’s support of Palestinian terror and his insistence on wiping out Israel as a state.
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.
