The Iraqi Mission has called on the United States Mission to act to prevent “the new program of terror to be launched by the Jewish Defense League” against Iraqi and Syrian officials in New York. The Iraqi Mission asked the Americans to “carry out its obligations and take all necessary measures to prevent any hindrance to the normal functioning of the (Iraqi) Mission and any damage to the Mission and its staff.” The Iraqis sent a copy of their protest to Secretary General Thant and asked him to circulate it among the United Nations member states and to submit it to the Informal Joint Committee on Host Country Relations.
The protest referred to a news story in the June 8 issue of the JTA Daily News Bulletin titled “Kahano Defends Alliance With Italian Group; Vows Harassment of Syrian, Iraqi Officials.” The story reported that on June 7 Rabbi Meir Kahano, national chairman of the JDL, had defended his declared solidarity with the Italian-American Civil Rights League, headed by reputed underworld leader Joseph Colombo Sr., a convicted perjurer, and had “warned that his organization would launch a program of harassment of Syrian and Iraqi officials in this country.” The Iraqis, referring to Rabbi Kahano as the leader of “the so-called Jewish Defense League,” did not quote his reason for his new tactics, namely to help effect the freedom of Jews prevented from leaving Syria and Iraq. “In view of the despicable record of criminal acts of terrorism committed by the Jewish Defense League in the past against this and other Missions,” the Iraqi statement declared without citing specific incidents, Rabbi Kahano’s statement cannot escape U.S. authorities. The complaint and its references to the JTA article were broadcast on local radio stations here today.
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.
