Israel Ambassador Ephraim Evron chided critics of Israel’s use of American-made war planes in its retaliatory attacks on Palestine Liberation Organization bases in south Lebanon. Addressing the American Mizrachi Women’s national convention at the Sheraton Centre here, which began yesterday and will conclude tomorrow, Evron told the 500 delegates:
“The Lebanese-Israeli border is not a one-way street open only for raids from Lebanon by terrorists who come to kill our people. As long as these raids continue we will continue to attack their bases of origin inside Lebanon. This is simply self-defense. If the raids stop, there will be no need to take action.”
Dealing with the issue of American commitment to United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, the envoy stated: “We and the Egyptians are living up fully to the (Camp David) peace agreement and both of us want to make peace work. We expect the American Administration to adhere to their commitment as well.”
Rep. Peter Peyser (D.NY), a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, told the convention that he strongly supports Israel and condemns those who urge negotiations between the government of Israel and PLO chief Yasir Arafat. “Israel should be open to negotiation with Palestine moderates but never with outright terrorists, “he said.”United States foreign policy cannot be dictated by threats or curtailment of oil or threats of terrorism. Israel must clearly understand what our position is going to be and we must understand Israel’s position.”
Rabbi Emanuel Rackman, president of Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel, also focused on this issue. He singled out the growing tendency on the part of the media and the Carter Administration to urge that Israel cooperate with the PLO in establishing a Palestinian state that would be a serious threat to Israel’s existence. “We must unite as Jews to fend off this latest menace to the State the Jewish people have suffered so long to achieve.” Rackman added that ultimately, “the responsibility must lie primarily with the Jewish family whose duty it has always been to imbue our youth with a lasting sense of Jewish identity and the commitment to the ideals of Judaism.”
NAZI WAR CRIMINALS IN THE U.S.
Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman (D.NY), speaking on the “Hunt for Nazis in America,” said, “The U.S. Immigration Authority has a long list of names of Nazi war criminals who are currently living in the United States. These war criminals have been so confident of their freedom from prosecution that they have not even bothered to change their names. When I asked the Immigration Authority how such criminals can be allowed to live peaceful lives here in the United States after this country waged a war against Nazism, they had no answer for me.”
Ms. Holtzman observed that just recently,” after three years of legislative battles, a law has been passed which now, for the first time, makes it illegal for Nazi war criminals to come into the United States and demands the prosecution of those who are already living here as U.S. citizens. It is a greet achievement, but there is still much to do.” The U.S. “has got to take an unambiguous stand on anti-Semitism,” she declared. “We are used to seeing anti-Semitism flourish in places like Argentinajand the Soviet Union, and now it has become a growing threat in the U.S. as well.”
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.
