Cyprus Adopts 'Absolute Neutrality' Between Israel, Arabs NICOSIA, (JTA) — The Director General of the Cyprus Foreign Ministry, Costas Assiotis, said here that his country was following a policy of "absolute neutrality" in its relations with Israel and the Arab states. Addressing the members of a diplomatic seminar here con- ducted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Assiotis described his country's relations with Israel and the Arab nations as "a delicate problem." Cyprus, he declared, "extends its hand to both parties, and gives the two sides equal opportunity to establish cultural, economic and other relations with Cyprus. Jewish Role in HE JEWISH NEWS Civil Rights Struggle Israel's Role in Nuclear Test Ban Editorials Page 4 •;:) i --r- R cl• -r A Weekly Review ;vs • 1-1 Zionism Misunderstood Why Not Investigate Arabs and AFME? N4 of Jewish Events Michigan's Only English-Jewish Newspaper—Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle Vol. XLI I I, No. 25 Printed in a 100% Union Shop 17100 W. 7 Mile Rd. — VE 8-9364 — Detroit 35, Aug. 16, 1963 Commentary Page 2 $6.00 Per Year; Single Copy 20c `Think Twice Before Attacking,' Eshkol Replies to Nasser Threat (Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News) Peking's First Note to Israel Asks Destruction of Nuclear Weapons (Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News) JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Levi Eshkol conferred Tuesday with Mrs. Golda Meir, Israel's Foreign Minister, on a reply to an official communication from Chinese Premier Chou En-Lai inviting Israel to support the Communist Chinese program for the destruction of all nuclear weapons. The proposal also called for creation of nuclear-free regions and was similar to notes sent to all heads of government soon after the American-British-Russian nuclear test ban treaty was signed in Moscow last week. The note was believed the first sent by the Peking government to Israel. The Chinese note suggested several intermediate stages for the dismantling of foreign military bases and for the ending of all nuclear weapons production. The pending reply by Premier Eshkol to President Kennedy's latest letter was reported to have been discussed at Cabinet meeting Sunday which was attended by Israeli envoys to three key western posts. The exchange began when David Ben-Gurion was Prime Minister and the Kennedy communications originally were addressed with Israel's concern over its security situation. The envoys attending the session were Avraham Harman, Ambassador to the United States; Michael Comay, permanent head of the Israeli delegation to the United Nations; and Yaacov Herzog, the outgoing envoy to Canada. Gen. Zvi Tsur, chief of staff of Israel's armed forces, reviewed for the Cabinet the situation on the Syrian frontier. He cited a rapidly deteriorating situation resulting from Syrian shooting last Friday on a tractor in the demilitarized zone southeast of Lake Tiberias, the third successive day of shooting, and the eighth incident in the past three weeks. Mrs. Golda Meir, Israel's Foreign Minister, reported on efforts to obtain the release of three Israelis abducted last month by Syrians when their motorboat was seized on Lake Tiberias. The Israeli Cabinet decided on what action to take in the event the Israelis are not released by the weekend, but the nature of the planned action was not disclosed. Premier Eshkol received Gen. Odd Bull, chief of staff of the United Nations Truce Supervisory Organization, to whom he expressed concern over the repeated Syrian aggressions. The Premier also said that Israel viewed with gravity the continued detention of the three abducted Israelis, and asked Gen. Bull's intervention to obtain their release. TEL AVIV — Premier Levi Eshkol issued a stiff warning Monday night to Syrian and Egyptian leaders "to think twice before uttering threats against Israel." The warning was the second by the Prime Minister in 24 hours following a threat bby President Nasser of Egypt that the time had come to "wipe out the stain" of Egypt's defeat by Israel in 1948. The second warning was contained in an address to reserve and regular paratroop officers of Paratroop Day. The Premier made it plain that while Israel did not desire bloodshed, "our neighbors in the north should entertain no hopes that Israel will remain quiet in the face of their aggressions only because Israel does not hurry in its reactions." He emphasized that paratroopers, as well as other units of the army, would be sent to the borders "and our enemies should not think we will remain with hands folded eternally in the face of provocations." Events for the special day included a parachute drop on the Tel Aviv seashore and a parade in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv. In his first warning, the Prime Minister addressed himself to the Egyptian president, urging Nasser to be careful in any moves because "Israel is not unprepared." The Prime Minister, speaking at a Mapai municipal gathering, said that Nasser had shown "his true face" in making bellicose speeches against Israel. Until recently, the Premier added, Nasser had been talking about peace. "We must continuously strengthen Israel in the face of the declared danger from Egypt," Eshkol said, adding that he had no intention of compet- ing with the Egyptian leader in speech-making. He then quoted King Ahad's answer to the Syrian King Ben-Hadad from I Kings: "Let him who girds himself for war not boast as he who ungirds himself" after victory. Syrians Shoot at Israelis 3rd Successive Day; UN Probes Attacks TEL AVIV (JTA) — Syrian shooting at land workers in the demili- tarized zone southeast of Lake Tiberias continued on Aug. 8 for the third day in a row. The target of firing was a tractor working on lands belonging to the Haon settlement. The fire was not returned, and no casualties were reported. During the two hours of shooting, a dry field was set afire but did not spread because of a favorable wind. Israel lodged complaints with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, and Israeli-Syrian Mixed Armistice Commission started probing the attacks. Rare Israel High Court Ruling Surrenders Custody of Twins to South African Husband JERUSALEM — (Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News) The Supreme Court, in a rare example of an Israeli court permitting children to be sent abroad in a custody dispute, ordered an Israeli mother Monday to sur- render custody of her twins to her husband in South Africa. The 34-year-old mother of the 8 1/2-year-old twins was the widow of an army officer by whom she had had a daughter when she met and married her second husband in Israel. He took the family to South Africa where the twins were born. During the rioting two and a half years ago, the couple decided it would be safer for the wife and children to be in Israel. Subsequently, the husband learned that his wife was living with another man, a widower and father of a boy. The husband obtained a South African court order for the custody of the twins. The Israeli Supreme Court, in handing down its judgment was highly critical of the mother. It found that the twins had received devoted care from the mother in the home of her lover for the past two years, but declared that the "mixed household set-up" was a bad example for the twins and that it estranged them from their father. All names were with- held. Stating that the prime consideration was the welfare of the children, the Supreme Court held that the mother's love had not been enough to prevent the mother from knowingly depriving the children of the sense of security that only a harmonious family can give. The decision took note of the father's declaration that he was prepared to provide a round trip ticket annually for the mother and daughter to visit the twins in South Africa. Jewish Groups to Take Part in Civil Rights March Aug. 28 WASHINGTON, D.C. (JTA) — . With the active support of Jewish organizations, Jews are expected to swell the ranks of participants in the March on Washington on Aug. 28 in support of civil rights legislation. Spokesmen for several national Jewish organiza- tions said that they had issued appeals to members to join in the march, but only one had a specific figure. A spokesman for the American Jewish Con- gress said that about 1,000 members were expected to march as a unit in the Aug. 28 action. Dr. Joachim Prinz, president of the American Congress, is a member of the general coordinating committee for the march. The New England region of the Congress announced it was raising funds to sponsor a 40-passenger bus from Boston to Washing- ton for the AJC march participants. Other organizations known to have arranged or encouraged members to converge on the nation's capital are the Union of American Hebrew Congrega- tions, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, United Synagogue of America, Synagogue Council of America, Jewish War Veterans of America, and local Jewish Community Councils of many cities, including Detroit. (Continued on Page 5)