Families of 4 Israelis Murdered by Terrorists Meet with Waldheim Tell Waldheim That Appeasement of a

The families of four Israelis murdered by terrorists under the command of Yasir Arafat told United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim today that “by welcoming the murderers of Innocent civilians into Its midst, the UN has abandoned whatever hope it once represented for decency and morality in international relations.”

In a Joint statement at a news conference following an interview with Waldheim at his office here this morning, the survivors charged that “appeasement of Yasir Arafat in 1974 will fail to bring peace Just as appeasement of Adolf Hitler failed a generation ago.”

Rabbi Israel Miller, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations which is acting as the host to the Israelis, quoted Waldheim as asserting that UN Security Council Resolution 242 would be “the basis for whatever solution is reached through peaceful negotiations.” Waldheim was also reported to have said that he had been “most active” in recent days in efforts to reduce mounting Middle East tensions, which were described by him as “relaxed” but still requiring “perseverance and persistence.”

Those who met with Waldheim in addition to Rabbi Miller were: Dr. Benjamin Berger of Cleve land, whose son, David, was a member of the Israeli Olympic team at the 1972 games in Munich. David, 28, was one of the 11 Israeli athletes seized at gunpoint and shot dead by Black September terrorists; Mordecai Zarenkin, 31, an Israeli war veteran whose wife and two small children were among seven victims of a terrorist raid on Nahariya on June 24 in which Arafat-led El Fatah publicly claimed responsibility for the attack.

Also meeting with Waldheim were: Zippora Maimon, 15, and her brother Galil, 23 of Maalot. Zippora was wounded in the Arab terrorist raid on Maalot last May 15 in which 24 Israeli school children were killed. Her brother, Galil, rescued her from the schoolhouse that had been seized by the terrorists and carried her, bleeding, to safety.

EXPRESS REVULSION AND OUTRAGE

In a statement to the press following the meeting, they said: “We told Dr. Waldheim of our revulsion and outrage at the standing ovation which Yasir Arafat received following his speech in this building last week. The spectacle of the nations of the world rising to acclaim the murderer of innocent civilians was obscene enough. But the prospect that he will be rewarded for his actions by a UN resolution giving him the territory he claims is a depressing reminder of the world’s folly in rewarding Hitler with the Sudetenland 35 years ago. Peace in the Middle East cannot come by surrender to terrorists. Appeasement of Yasir Arafat in 1974 will fail just as appeasement of Adolf Hitler failed a generation ago.”

Rabbi Miller said the UN was “no longer symbolized by the dream of peace but by a killer with a holster” –a reference to the gun holster worn by Arafat in addressing the General Assembly last week. He added: “By its own craven surrender to political expediency, the General Assembly has conferred authority on the Palestine Liberation Organization to represent the Arabs of Palestine themselves. In so doing, the General Assembly subverted the very charter of the United Nations for the proclaimed purpose of Yasir Arafat is to destroy a member state of the UN, Israel. Israel will survive the UN vote but the UN may not.” During their short stay in the United States. the Israelis, who arrived here last Thursday, have visited a number of communities, including Port Washington, N.Y., Philadelphia and Baltimore.