Maj. Gerald C. Van Gorcum retired Dutch Army officer who served in the United Nations truce observer-force in the Middle East in 1958-59, has returned the decorations he earned in that service in protest against the appearance of PLO chief Yasir Arafat at the UN. Maj. Van Gorcum, 63, declared that Arafat’s presence before the General Assembly was “an offense to everybody who, like myself, tried to promote peace in the Middle East.” He added that “admitting this political playboy and gang leader to address the UN is completely unacceptable.”
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.
