Battle Over Freedom ® Press in Israell'id"' July 22, 1966 Ey ELIAHU SALPETER (copyright, 1966 : JTA, Inc.) JERUSALEM—In the first week of July, the Israel government gazetted regulations forbidding the publication of information about the discussions, decisions or even of the fact that meetings were held of the Cabinet subcommittee on security affairs. The regulations were issued, by the approval of the appropriate Knesset committee, under the 1957 State Secrets Act, which de- fines state secrets as information of obvious secret nature (a definition vague enough by itself to raise serious questions of legal princi- ple) as well as "types of subjects" declared as secret by the govern- ment with the approval of the Knesset Security Affairs Commit- tee. From a formal point of view, THE BEST IN SALES AND SERVICE HANK NEWMAN President I'M THE DODGE BOY TiiAT SAVES YOU CASH! . PAUL NEWMAN'S $ MILTAN Dodge 855 Oakland, Pontiac — LI 9-6161 there was no infringement on the principle of legality and democ- racy. The government had authori- ty to issue the regulations which, moreover, were subject and re- ceived approval of a parliamentary body. In fact, however, the regu- lations shocked Israel editors. There were some legal experts who questioned whether the regulations actually conformed to the words —and particularly to the spirit— of the State Secrets Act. They argued that the expression "types of subjects" in the law refers to the substance of the subjects and not to the source of origin of the information. Thus the government can ban publication, for example, of information pertaining to the acquisition or development of new weapons: but it cannot, they felt. issue a blanket ban on all infor- mation about, say, the military establishment. This difference is of funda- mental importance for the future of the freedom of the press from both the aspect of principle and its practical operation. It restricts the right of a free press, in a gross manner, to in- form the public about a very vital part of government activi- ties affecting directly each and every citizen of the country. Also, it places an impossible burden on the day to day work of the press. To take a hypothetical example, a reporter obtains a story that some technical faculties at a cer- tain college will receive enlarged budgetary support from the gov- ernment, to enable them to train a large number of- engineers. It may turn out that this matter was decided, after discussions, by the Cabinet subcommittee on security affairs because the military feels it should be able to call on a larger pool of engineering know- how in the country. Technically, at least, the reporter, the editor and the publisher, whose paper printed the story, could well be charged Still Available! at the NATIONAL BANK OF DETROIT Michigan's Largest Bank 6 TO 12-MONTH TIME CERTIFICATES EARN ANNUAL INTEREST AUTOMATIC RENEWAL With NBD Time Certificates you can set your own maturity date anywhere between 6 and 12 months. They're avail- able in amounts of $1,000 or more to individuals and non-profit corporations at all 85 NBD offices. Regular savings earn four percent paid and compounded quarterly. Resources: in excess of $2,000,000,000 Capital Funds and Reserves: in excess of S200,000,000 Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation with a violation of the State Sec- rets Act. Violators are liable to imprison- ment from seven years to life. The new regulation also authorizes the Military Press Censorship to watch the implementation. Though the government will probably argue that this clause is for the benefit of the press to protect them from unintentional violations and lia- bility to severe punishment (and this argument is far from water- tight since it presumes that the paper knew that the story 'should be checked with the Censor), it certainly represents an extension of press censorship. The Israel press already is in a most curious position. There is unlimited freedom of the press for papers who wish to print the vilest and most unfounded accusations or denunciations against the gov- ernment. But the military censor- ship often intervene against the . publication of factual information which editors feel is actually of political nature but its disclosure would be unpleasant to the govern- ment, while the censor claims that it would divulge intelligence in- fringing on the security interest of the country. Observers predict that the new regulations may well set the stage for a major battle between the government and the newspapers over the question of the freedom of the press in Israel. British Govt. Rejects Appeal for Protest to Russia on Jews' Plight (Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News) LONDON—A spokesman for the Labor government rejected Tues day in the House of Commons an appeal for direct representations by the government to the Soviet Union on the plight of Russian Jewry. The appeal was made by Sir John Foster, a Conservative mem- ber of Parliament, who said that Soviet persecution of Jews had led to the closing of Jewish schools and of most of the synagogues in the Soviet Union. He said the Brit- ish government should make rep- resentations to Soviet authorities over these actions and also to urge unification of Jewish families in the USSR with their relatives in Israel and elsewhere. Replying for the government, Mrs. Irene White, minister of state at the foreign office, said that the government had made clear Britain's opposition to all forms of racism, including anti- Semitism, at the United Nations and that the Soviet Union was aware of the British views on the issue. She said that the government had "every sympathy" for the problems of Soviet Jewry but that she hoped Sir John would appreciate the fact that it was "very difficult" to make offi- cial bilateral representations to another country on behalf of people for whom the government could not claim a direct inter- est. Sir Alec Douglas Home, opposi- tion spokesman on foreign affairs and former prime minister, told the house that the opposition want- ed action on the issue by the gov- ernment: He said there were well- documented lists of persecutions against Soviet Jews and that this "quite clearly" offended against "every canon of human rights." He said it was the duty of the government, despite all conven- tions, to make representations to the Soviet Union. Mrs. White re- plied that in the government's opinion, it was proper to raise the issue internationally, but that it was "not proper" to make direct bilaterial representations. Hebrew U. Allocation The Conference of Jewish Mat- erial Claims Against Germany last year allocated a total of 285,000 Israel pounds ($95,000) to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Jewish National Fund Comfort Ye, Comfort Ye, My People J.N.F. Tisha b'AV is the time when the Jews' thoughts turn to the destruc- tion of the Temple. Yet this is also the time to think of the reconstruc- tion and the upbuildings of the privilege of witnessing the beginning of the redemption of our ancestral national home. land supports the whole Israel economy — it grows Israel's food — on it stand Israel's religious, educational, and welfare institutions, and guards her frontiers. MAKE YOUR CONTRIBUTION THIS TISHA b'AV O JEWISH NAT+ITOENAL FUND MORE GENEROUS . MORE SETTLE- MENTS ARE NEEDED! MORE LAND MUST BE RECLAIMED AND DEVELOPED! MORE TREES MUST BE PLANTED! THE PLANTING OF FORESTS AND CLEARING OF LAND PROVIDES JNF Is Now The WORK FOR THOSE WHO Principal Employer NOW COME Of Israel Immigrants ! TO ISRAEL! The following Congregations will be addressed in behelf of the Jewish National Fund during Tisha b'AV service Monday evening, 'July 25 and Tuesday morning, July 26, by their Rabbis, Presidents, or special speakers designated by the Jewish Notional Fund: Cong. Ados Shalom Cong. Ados Yeshurun Cong. David Ben Nuchim Cong. Ahavas Achim Cong. Beth Aaron Cong. Beth Aaron WIsrael Cong. Beth Abraham Cong. Beth Joseph Cong. Beth Moses Cong. Beth Shalom Cong. Beth Tefilo Emanuel Tikvah Cong. Beth Tefilloth Moses (Mt. Clemens) Cong. Beth Yehuda Cong. lirnoi David Cong. B'nai Israel Torah Center Cong. B'nai Jacob Cong. B'nai Moshe Cong. B'nai Zion Cong. Ezros Achim Cong. Beth Hillel Cong. Chesed Shel Emes Livonia Jewish Cong. Cong. Mishkan Israel- Nusach Harie Cong. Shoarey Shomoyim Cong. Shaorey Zedek Cong. Shomrey Emunoh Young Israel Center of Oak Woods Young Israel of Greenfield Young Israel of Northwest Detroit OUTSTATE: Cong. Beth Israel .Ann Arbor Cong. Shaarey Zedek and Temple of Abraham Bay City Temple Beth El Benton Harbor Cong. Beth Israel Flint Cong. Ahavos Israel Grand Rapids Cong. of Moses Kalamazoo Shoorey Zedek Cong. Lansing Temple Beth El Midland Cong. B'nai Israel Muskegon Cong. B'nai Israel Pontiac Mt. Sinai Synagogue Port Huron Temple B'nai Israel Saginaw First Hebrew Cong. South Haven Your Contribution Will Speed the Integration of Hundreds of Thousands of Jews into Israel's Economy THOSE NOT ATTENDING THE SYNA- GOGUES ARE REQUESTED TO SEND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE OFFICE OF THE JEWISH NATIONAL FUND 18414 WYOMING UN 4-2767 • Contributions to it* ore tax deductible.