The Palestinian Liberation Organization claimed in Cairo today that the Soviet Union has agreed to supply Arab guerrillas with weapons to fight Israel. The alleged agreement was disclosed by Yassir Arafat, leader of E1 Fatah and chairman of the PLO, an umbrella organization of E1 Fatah and several other Palestinian commando groups. Arafat said he got the promise of weapons from the Russians when he visited Moscow last February. The guerrilla chief reported to the Palestinian National Council, a group made up of various commando leaders meeting in Cairo to coordinate battle plans against Israel. According to his report, the Russians were sympathetic to the guerrillas’ declared aim of “liberating” the whole of Israel, a euphemism for the destruction of the Jewish State. Arafat was the first Palestinian commando leader invited to the Soviet Union. But reports from Moscow at the time of his visit hinted that he had a cool reception and was not received by the highest echelon Soviet officials. The Russians so far have not supplied arms directly to Arab guerrillas. But many Soviet weapons supplied to Arab governments have found their way into guerrilla hands.
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.
