President Chaim Herzog today accused international public opinion of hypocrisy in relation to Israel and Lebanon. When the Sabra and Shatila massacre occurred last year, he said, Israel was blamed worldwide even though it was plain that no Israeli hand had spilled the blood of the victims. Now, however, when massacres are once again being perpetrated in Lebanon — the world stands by and says nothing.
The President made these remarks during a day-long tour of several religious kibbutzim and moshavim in the northern Negev. He attended afternoon services at the Moshav Shitufi of “Massuot Yitzhak,” named after his late father, Chief Rabbi Isaac Halevy Herzog of Ireland.
While occupied all day with this tour, the President was kept in touch with his office in Jerusalem and was understood to be ready to return to the capital should a signal come from Prime Minister Menachem Begin that he wished to submit his resignation.
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.