Purely Commentary

Terror and Murder . . . and the Refusal to Face
Issues Involving Israel Fairly and Realistically
In a world filled with terror, another incident in Israel often is
viewed with indifference. More often than not, resort to mass murders
is treated as if it were a minor occurrence. Because Israel prevented
another Holocaust, there has developed—almost immediately after the
Six-Day War, another form of animosity. The New Left has ganged up
with black extremists, anti-Semites, neo-Nazis and seekers of reasons
for hatred to recreate the old scapegoat. They often speak in terms of
the "Zionist" bogey, and an old phantom has been disinterred so that
the Jew again is the subject for attacks.
If it were not for this development which has created a major
problem for Israel and the Jewish people, it is possible that the horrible
occurrence in the Jerusalem market place last Friday morning might
have been an occasion to awaken the masses of the Arabs to a realiza-
tion that during the years when they could have encouraged peace they
listened instead to propagandists who are bent upon destroying Israel.
From 1947 onward, from the day when the United Nations voted to
create a very small Jewish State, peace could have been effected. The
Jewish community, while it recognized that a mere ghetto was being
created by the act of the international organization, was nevertheless
ready to tighten belts, to struggle through, to labor together with the
Arabs for mutual accord. But even before Israel's independence was
declared on May 14, 1948, Arab armies sought to destroy the Jewish
settlements. They were defeated, and they tried again. They tried on
occasion after occasion to exterminate, to destroy, to end the historic
right of the Jewish people to a small spot on the globe—so small in the
vast areas of the many Arab states that Israel was a mere fly speck
on the map.
Then came May of 1967, when Nasser and his cohorts threatened to
complete their job of destruction. Nasser's puppet Hussein of Jordan
was the recipient of a Jewish plea not to wage war, but he began to
shell Jerusalem, and he met his doom.
During all these manifestations of Arab hatred, Israel acquired new
territory, It was necessary to end the threats from unprotected borders,
and Israel pursued the task of self-defense with honor and with courage.
But the Arab guerrillas are not only waging war: they have made
many efforts to attack civilians, and they reached the height of terror-
ism last Friday. History will judge that event and the attitude of the
Arab war-mongers in proper fashion, and we have confidence that all
attempts to exterminate our kinsmen will fail.
But what is especially disturbing is that world public opinion is
being molded in the same spirit of hatred. The gang-up by would-be
liberals and by the hate-mongers has led to misunderstandings. It was
not enough that Poland and Communists in the Soviet Union resorted to
the "Zionist" bogey charge. There are Americans and magazines with
large circulations that have grabbed at the "Zionist" charge and are
harming Israel.
Life Magazine became a party to such a line of misrepresentation
in its current week's editorial. It serves to build up a nonsensical charge
of "Jewish influence," of a "Jewish vote" that is irrelevant to the entire
situation because Jews have been and are divided class-wise in their
voting. But it is so easy to distort by resort to a bogey! And there is
neither an excuse for it nor should it be condoned!
That's our trouble in a world of Chaos and of tension—that instead
of seeking peace honestly and honorably, the false friends have con-
tributed to a state of war!
What's all this talk about Israel's belligerence when the offers of
peace have come from Israel, when it has been made clear that peace
between neighbors means that neighbors must talk to one another, else
there can be no peace! But the false prophets—and Life's editorial is
false prophecy!—are adding fuel to an unnecessary fire and that is why
Arabs have had a free hand in terrorism at a time when they have
been given freedom to travel, to work with and for Israelis (so many
jobs have been given them by the JNF and other Jewish agencies!),
who are benefiting from Israel's existence but are nevertheless tools in
the bands of destroyers.

Why Was Eshkol Visit Canceled?
A question could well be posed now: why has Israel's Prime
Minister Levi Eshkol canceled his planned visit to this country to
confer with President Lyndon B. Johnson? It couldn't possibly be
the look ahead that President-elect Richard Nixon will henceforth
have all the power over American relations with Israel and the
Arab states. The decision to sell Phantom jets to Israel is not in the
hands of Nixon but in President Johnson's, and the fulfillment of a
pledge to Israel may be fully materialized before Nixon moves into
the White House.
In the course of the coming few months there will be lots of talk
about American relations, the wisdom of "simplistic and automatic
backing of Israel," as Life magazine unjustly termed it. That maga-
zine, all-too-often noted for its sentiments that were not too kind to
Israel, wrote as if Nasser would welcome American aid in order to
offset Russian influence, and it encourages resumption of U.S.-UAR
diplomatic relations. No one objects to the latter, but we believe
Americans are totally fed up on the anti-American propaganda that
constantly pours out of Cairo, Amman and Beirut, and if there is
to be amity the lies that stem from those capitals must end.
A typical example of abuse of friendship and human
decencies is in evidence in a 100-page illustrated book that has
been issued by the anti-Israel forces under the title "Kennedy
and Sirhan: Why?" which in essence glorifies the assassination
of Robert F. Kennedy. Eliot Fremont-Smith review nine books
on the Kennedys in the Nov. 22 N.Y.' Times and while highly
commending one of them that contained tributes to Robert F.
Kennedy and was edited by Pierre Salinger under the title "An
Honorable profession," it spoke of the Arab propaganda booklet
as "a shocker" and explained that description as follows:
The shocker is M. T. Mehdi's "Kennedy and Sirhan:
Why?," a bizarre tract sponsored by the Action Committee
on American-Arab Relations, which argues that Senator
Kennedy was a victim of Zionism and of an "immoral"
exchange of sympathy for Israel for Jewish votes at home,
and that in shooting him, Sirhan B. --Sirhan acted certainly
illegally and• unwisely but not necessarily immorally.
The book gives, I suppose, insight into a type of political
thinking that makes the conflicts in the Middle East so
difficult to resolve. "The author," a note says, "is contribut-
ing all profits to prevent the sale of Phantom jets to Israel
so that Mr. Kennedy's death will not be a wasted tragedy."
Shamelessly, brazenly, the anti-Israel propaganda keeps circulat-
ing and with it goes the anti-American propaganda, and stuff like

2—Friday, November 29, 1968

Spread of Hate, Distortion
of Truth, Terror in Areas
of Sanctity, Hope for Peace

By Philip

SiOMOVitZ

Life's helps fan the hatreds against the U.S. We primarily object to
that and we keep calling attention to the fact that much of the hatred
comes from the academicians in two universities financed by Ameri-
cans—the American colleges in Beirut and Cairo. From no other
sources have we seen so much hatred reverberating with speed and
contrary to the basic truths of life.
The trouble is that we haven't seen the beginning of the end- to
the state of horror that confronts Israel, and we deplore the indif-
ference with which all but the Israelis face the basic truth: that no
matter how many acts of terror, Israel can not and will not be
destroyed. If Israel's enemies were only to realize that, they might
come to terms and create a state of peace for the benefit of all the
peoples in the Middle East.
*

Peace Can Not Be Imposed From Without
One point is vital to the discussion. Too many are under the
impression that there can be mediation in the Middle East. That's
nonsense. Friendly nations can help to mediate, but they can not
mediate because peace cannot be imposed. It must be negotiated.
And a negotiated peace means that contending forces must sit down
and discuss what they have in view.
It is a simple matter. If there to be peace, or even only a
permanent truce, the neighbors affected must be on speaking terms.
That's why they must have some form of negotiation that rules out
imposition from without.

•

Sydney J. Harris Harms the Cause of Truth
Readers of the Sydney J. Harris column must have been shocked
out of their wits when they read, on Monday, this effusion of a philoso-
phy in which he bathes with so much self-glory—this time by painting
the Jews of Israel as behaving "callously" toward their Arab fellow-
citizens.
It has been mentioned again and again, there is proof not only for
those who visit Israel and see for themselves but for the average and
very ordinary newspaper reader who follows the news, that:
Every possible benefit is provided not only for the Arab citizens
of Israel but also for those who have been acquired in the liberated
territories;
For the first time all Arabs have freedom of movement in
Israel and the East Jerusalem Arabs will be able to vote in muni-
cipal elections—all for the first time in their experience;
Arabs are employed by Jewish agencies and are welcomed as
members of the Histadrut Israel Federation of Labor, thereby re-
ceiving pay equal with Israelis.
But Harris gives credence to a different tale. He foments hatred.
He spreads untruths and we accuse him of ignorance of the facts when
he writes as he did in his column last Monday: "The Jews are among
the most compassionate and humane of people, because of their suffer-
ing and persecution over the centuries. But in Israel with their own
flag, their own army and their own sense of national destiny, they have
behaved as callously toward the disposed Arabs as any other nation,
black, white, green or speckled. Their greatest moral leader, Martin
Buber, who lived in Israel, was ignored for decades on this crucial
matter."
There is a bit of Galgenhumor—humor of the gallows—in an
uninformed writer's reference to Dr. Buber. The eminent philosopher
and Hasidic mystic was a distinguished Zionist, a leader in the Jewish
national movement. With Henrietta Szold and Dr. Judah Magnes he
propagated a binational state — and idea still entertained by many
Israeli leaders—but Dr. Buber was never ignored and he never ignored
those who are charged with having ignored him. Where did Harris get
his dope? How about doing a little more proper reading, Mr. Harris,
so that you won't mislead yourself and your readers?
And how about being more truthful and less flattering? We really
aren't interested in being called "compassionate." For your informa-
tion, sir, it isn't because of suffering that Jews have handed down to
mankind a code of great social and ethical teachings but because of
the heritage that is ours and is carried on by us—uncallously!
Go into Israel, see for yourself, note that at nearly every step one
can find a car from Jordan with a Jordanian license, one can confront
Arabs from all areas (except Algeria ad Egypt, which are the most
threatening to Israel's existence). Then proceed to any Arab state and
try to find a Jew existing in freedom.
There are truths and contrasts, but Columnist Harris apparently
is unaware of any of them. He has imbibed hatred out of ignorance
and is poisoning the minds of unknowing readers. What a pity that a
free press can in such fashion lead to advocacy of hatred akin to
bigotry that encourages divisiveness among nations!

Monetary Woe
in Europe Not
Hurting Israel

(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)

JERUSALEM—David Horowitz,
governor of the Bank of Israel, told
the Knesset Finance Committee
Monday that monetary difficulties
in Western Europe, particularly
the crisis of the French franc,
have no "implications" for Israel's
economy.

Horowitz' statement confirmed
opinions expressed in financial cir-
cles here last week, when the de-
valuation of the franc and possibly
of other European currencies ap-
peared imminent.

Emergency measures taken last
week to protect the Israel pound
were rescinded Monday. The Bank
of Israel removed the $40 per day
ceiling ,it had placed on currency
transactions by tourists with francs
or pounds sterling.

Dollar exchanges were never
affected, and a slight drop was
noted Monday in the black market
of dollars and gold.
* *
Meanwhile, however, financial
circles here said Monday that addi-
tional restrictions on imports an-
nounced by Britain will affect
Israel's exports of phosphates, dia-
monds, electronic equipment and
clothing to that country.
Israel's citrus exports will not be
affected because there are no re-
strictions on British importation of
foods. The reduction of French im-
ports announced by President De
Gaulle is not expected to have an
appreciable affect on Israel be-
cause Israeli exports to France are

small.

Britain Won't Press
Probe of Oppression
of Jews by the Arabs

LONDON (JTA)—A government
spokesman rejected a proposal in
the House of Commons that Britain
introduce a resolution in the
United Nations calling for a
humanitarian investigation of the
condition of Jews in Arab coun-
tries as well as of Arabs in Israel-
occupied territory. The proposal
was made by Sir Ian Orr-Ewing
(Conservative). Goronwy Roberts,
minister of state at the foreign
office, replied that the govern-
ment's position was made clear by
its vote in favor of a Security
Council resolution calling for an
investigation of Arab conditions in
the occupied territories. Israel has
refused to permit such an investi-
gation unless a similar one is car-
ried out in Arab countries where
Jews are reportedly imprisoned
without trial and generally mis-
treated. The Arabs refuse to allow
it.

Columbia University Student Revolt Valuably
Analyzed by Opposing Views in Atheneum Book

Members of the staff of Colum- chapter of Students for a Demo-
bia University Daily Spectator, cratic Society.
under the direction of Jerry L.
Dr. Deane makes an important
Avorn, have compiled a history of
declaration, asserting: "Some of
the events that transpired at the
our young revolutionaries may
university. In a revealing volume,
tell us that they welcome `tem-
"Up Against the Ivy Wall," edited
porary' strengthening of reac-
by Robert Friedman, published by
tion, since the far right will
Atheneum, the conflicting attitudes
eliminate or weaken the social-
are presented in this volume, and
democrats, liberals and conserv-
while there are sharp differences
atives and thus sharply polarize
in approaches, the views expressed
society into two completely hos-
here may well serve as guides in a
tile segments, the forces of revo-
divided American community on lution and those of reaction, and
the subject of the students' revolt. that they will emerge victorious
from this confrontation. Our re-
This volume presents a thorough
sponse can only be that right-
study of the transpired events, and
wing repression would destroy
the illustrations of occurrences con-
all that we value in American
tribute towards an understanding
society, and that the ultimate
of the battle that evolved between
victory of revolution over reac-
students and faculty and adminis-
tion
in this country is just as un-
tration.
likely as it was in Germany
It is important to note that ap- before Hitler, when the Comma-
pended to the evaluative text are nist Party defended its tactical
two statements, by Prof. Herbert alliances with the Nazis by the
A. Deane, Columbia University's unrealistic argument that fas-
provost for academic affairs, and cism, having eliminated all the
Mark Rudd, Columbia U. junior enemies of communism, would
THE . DETROIT
JEWISH
NEWS
who was chairman of the Columbia prove unable to deal with the
,

objective social problems, and
that its collapse would permit
the German Communist Party to
emerge as the 'residual lega-
tee., 7,
Rudd's attitude expressed the
SDS view on "Symbols of the Rev-
olution." He justifies the obscene,
some of the four-lettered words
that are quoted and used in his ar-
ticle. He asserts that "by seizing
the buildings, we took back our
university." He is emphatic in de-
claring: "Believing the propaganda
of the `academic community,' we
decided that we had enough of
bureaucrats and trustees deciding
policies against our interests." In
Rudd's expressions there is the
fullest justification of the student
revolt.
Out of it all, there emerges the
true picture, the dignified defense
by Dr. Deane, the emphasis by
SDS.
"Up Against the Ivy Wall" is a
very valuable presentation of an
historic case that may have its
effects for at least another genera-
tion of students and academicians.

