Drive to Help Free Israeli Pows

Twelve national organizations associated with the U.S. armed forces pledged yesterday to help bring about identification and release of Israeli prisoners of war held by Syria. Representatives of the organizations decided to spread information to their memberships and to the Congress about Syria’s refusal to abide by the Geneva Convention governing international conduct towards military personnel captured in war. This includes release of their names to the International Red Cross in Geneva and allowing an IRC representative to visit the facilities in which the prisoners are held.

Israel believes 102 of its personnel are in Syrian hands and that 42 others were murdered while held captive. The Israeli government announced all the names of the 367 Syrians they hold within a week after the Oct. 24 cease-fire. The Syrian prisoners have been allowed to write their families and those who are sick or wounded have received hospital care equal to that given Israeli soldiers. No word has been received by families of the Israeli POWs about their condition or whether they are even living.

Representatives of the organizations met at the headquarters here of the Jewish War Veterans of the U.S. to discuss how most effectively they can bring public attention to the Syrian government’s refusal to act under the Geneva accords. The meeting was sponsored by Lt. Col Irwin R. Ziff (USAF Ret.), the JWV’s assistant national executive director.

The organizations represented at the meeting included the American Legion, Amvets; Veterans of Foreign Wars; Disabled War Veterans; Catholic War Veterans; JWV Auxiliary; the American Red Cross; the National League of Families of American Prisoners of War and Missing in Action in Southeast Asia; the Reserve Officers Association; the Retired Officers Association; the Association of the U.S. Army and the Air Force Association.