Motivations for Israel's Action at Beirut Airport
A. Lebanese Responsibility for Terrorism
1. Since September 1968, 18 terrorist in-
cidents have taken place from Lebanese
soil, with the overt encouragement of the
Lebanese government. The terrorist group
most active in Lebanon is the one which
calls itself "The Popular Front for the
liberation of Palestine." This is the group
that claimed responsibility both for the
hijacking of the El Al plane to Algeria in
July 1968 and for the terror attack on the
El Al plane at Athens on Dec. 26, 1968.
The group maintains its headquarters in
Beirut and is allowed to function openly.
Its communiques are regularly published
in Beirut. It was from Beirut airport that
the two perpetrators who sprayed machine-
gun fire and threw explosives at the El Al
plane at Athens had departed. One pas-
senger was killed and a stewardess wounded
during the attack.
2. Lebanese official support for terror
against Israel is reflected in numerous
public statements. In the words of the
Lebanese prime minister on Nov. 2, 1968:
"Fedayeen action is legitimate, and
no one can condemn the fedayeen for
what they are doing. Their aim is to re-
trieve their homeland and their plundered
rights . . . Thus, I say, fedayeen action
is legal." (Radio Beirut, 11-2-68.)
Following the attempt to destroy the
El Al plane at Athens airport, Radio Cairo
on Dec. 28 quoted Lebanese official sources
as "praising the courage of the perpetra-
tors." This was echoed in the Lebanese
daily El-Hadaf, 12-2-68: "The action at
Athens was an outstanding act of heroism.
The path of struggle is a difficult one, but
those who follow it faithfully will ultimately
reach the goal."
B. Scope of Israeli Action
3. As a result of the Israeli action at
the Beirut airport, Dec. 28, 1968, 12 to 14
Arab aircraft were restroyed or severely
damaged (nine jets and 3-5 turbo-jets.)
4. At great risk to themselves, Israeli
troops at the airport exercised the strictest
precaution to prevent civilian casualties.
The planes were emptied of passengers
and ground crews, and people in the vicin-
ity were led away to safety. Loudspeakers
were employed to issue instructions in
Arabic and English. The only shots fired
were warning shots in the air. No fire was
directed at people. There is no truth in the
allegation that explosives and machine-
guns were used. Smoke bombs were em-
ployed against the possible arrival of Leb-
anese reinforcements. The runways were
left untouched.
C. The Purpose of the Israeli Action
5. In contrast to the severe precautions
to avoid civilian casualties in the Israeli
action, the terror attack on the El Al plane
in Athens was one of cold-blooded murder.
Thirty-eight passengers, including women
Statement by Prime Minister Eshkol:
`Lebanon Can't Evade Responsibility'
We have no desire whatsoever of worsening our relations with Lebanon. Israel is
interested in a delimitation of the hostile front—not in its expansion. But we are
obliged to defend ourselves against all aggression, in the place where it is planned and
carried out. This practice adopted by our enemies must stop. States that make it
possible for terrorist organizations to organize and perpetrate acts of terror bear
responsibility for aggression, a responsibility they cannot disclaim. This is accepted
as a fundamental principle of international law. On no account can we accept the notion
that the waging of war against Israel should be permitted if those who wage it call
themselves this or that organization and not a government.
The facts are clear: the terrorist band that struck at our plane operated out of
Beirut. In Beirut are located the headquarters of the organizations that carried out
the deed. From Beirut went out the organization's words of bravado concerning its
deed—as well as the statement proclaiming its intention to continue with actions of
this kind. Under rules of international morality and law, a state is not allowed to
harbor and encourage an armed force operating from its territory against a neigh-
boring state and be considered immune from reaction.
These terrorist methods employed by Israel's enemies strike not at Israel alone
but are capable of causing the gravest interference in international civil aviation.
Israel calls for the honoring of the rights of all states to fly their international
airlines in freedom and safety.
Jewish and Arab Students in Israel
Working Toward Understanding
Acre and Jaffa. A mixed camp
By ODED KIDRON
has been held for the past eight
(Editor's Note: The author is a years; some youth clubs have held
youth worker in Israel. His article joint activities.
is made available to the American
The question of how to strengthen
Zionist Youth Foundation, which.
through its Summer Institute and these existing ties and to extend
Summer in Kibutz programs helps them to other young people through.
American Jewish youth to partici- out Israel was one of the topics
for discussion at a recent meeting
pate in such meetings in Israel.)
of representatives of student coun-
Did you know that Jews and cils held in Jerusalem. The main
Arabs go to school together in purpose of the meeting was to find
Israel, that they visit together, ways of learning more about each
attend the same camps, have de- other's way of life and of planning
bates between their schools and more joint activities than are being
hold joint social functions? Not held at the moment.
only is this happening, but a com-
One of the students suggested
mittee of representatives of high
school pupils has throughout Israel that the best way would be for
more
Jewish high school pupils to
taken upon itself to expand these
learn Arabic. At the moment this
contacts.
is not taught in all schools and
This might be difficult for any- when it is, stress is put mainly
one not living in Israel to believe, on the literary language, which
especially if they see some of the as it happens bears little resemb-
results of the blind hatred the lance to the spoken language with
Egyptians and Syrians have taught its many dialects.
their children.
The majority of the student rep-
For example, Israelis were resentatives did feel that they
shocked when they saw an exhibi- wanted to find out more about
tion of drawings and paintings col- the Arabs, learn their language
lected from high schools in the and meet them on equal social
Gaza Strip immediately after the basis. •
Six-Day War in June 1967. These
Reports were brought by a pupil
pictures depicted Jews as ugly
dwarfs with hooked noses, wearing of one mixed agricultural Jewish-
Arab
school. All the boys lived in
yellow patches on their clothing
being booted into the sea by heroic the same rooms, eating together
and
working
in the same branches
,..soldiers. or an Arab soldier stand-
ing with one foot on a Jew smil- on the farm. Yet another young
ing victoriously, holding a rifle man told of mixed meetings in
whose bayonet is dripping with the regional youth center where
widespread point activities are
blood.
held.
Israelis on the other hand have
and children, were in the plane when it
was struck by grenades and machinegun
fire. That the plane, with its 30 tons of
fuel, did not explode on the spot was due
more to chance than design.
6. The Athens incident was the second
act of violence in six months by a Beirut-
based terror group directed against the
Israel national airline. Following the pi-
ratical act in July, Israel made it clear
that it would not tolerate interference with
the free and innocent movement of its
aircraft.
Last week's criminal attack at Athens
airport again highlighted the dangers in-
herent in this method of terrorization which
may be expected to spread if no reaction is
forthcoming.
7. Israel has no desire in worsening its
relations with Lebanon. It is, however,
obliged to defend itself against any aggres-
sion at the place where it is planned and
carried out. States that make is possible
for terrorist groups to organize and per-
petrate acts of terror bear responsibility
for the aggression. Under the rules of
international morality and law, no state
is allowed to harbor and encourage armed
forces operating from its territory against
a neighboring state and then be considered
immune from reaction in self-defense.
8. For Israel, a country surrounded on
every border by enemies foresworn to its
destruction, the national airline is a vital
life-line to the world outside. Any attempt
to interfere with its legal freedom of move-
ment is a blow at Israel's security.
Washington, D.C.
December 29, 1968
,
Life in Dutch Westerbork Camp Recorded;
Mechamcus' Story of Tragic Era Under Nazis
Philip Mechanicus, a Dutch jour-
nalist, was arrested for not wear-
ing the "yellow star" imposed upon
Jews by he Nazis. He was sent to
the Westerbork camp that was, at
the outset, a "Nazi labor camp" in
Holland. He recorded his experi-
ences in a diary that was found
and has been published under the
title "Year of Fear — A Jewish
Prisoner Waits for Auschwitz." It
has been published in a splendid
translation into English by Irene S.
Gibbons by Hawthorn Books (70
5th, NY11).
* * *
Mechanicus records life in that
camp from the time of his arrest
in September 1942 until Feb. 28,
1944. He was deported March 6,
1944, was sent to Auschwitz Oct. 9,
1944, and is believed to have been
shot with 120 fellow prisoners on
Oct. 12, 1944.
* * *
Thus, the sub-title of the book,
about a Jew waiting for Auschwitz,
is a reference to a real experience
—just as the entire book records
pragmatically the life in a camp,
the despair and the anxieties, the
manner in which people differed,
and especially the form in which
arrogance on the part of Germans
who for a time felt secure and
superior played a role in camp life.
finally a "dispersal camp"—and
for the latter purpose thousands
were constantly brought into
Westerbork, awaiting, as the
author of this diary did, for
extermination, for the German-
instituted final solution.
* * *
In an important introduction to
the English edition of Mechanicus'
book, J. Presser implements this
important addition to Holocaust
literature with an evaluation of the
Mechanicus story, an elaboration
on Westerbork, the people who
were there—even an aristocracy—
and a lower strata, S-men and
women who were "punishment
cases beyond saving. And there
was the "divide and rule" method
of the Germans in an effort to in-
troduce wicked distinctions, yet the
only difference between those
chosen to die eventually was the
time element—who was to remain
in Westerbork longer.
Mechanicus is depicted by
Presser as a sort of war corre-
spondent who made a record of
events while his own life was in
danger, "although he hardly ever
seemed to realize it." Presser
gives an outline of Mechanicus'
life and he refers to the rescue
of valuable papers by the Imper-
ial Institute of War Documents
in Amsterdam, although German
authorities "did their best to
wipe out every trace of their
misdeeds."
Jews." But those in Westerbork
were not destined to live.
* * *
The experiences of the children,
the role of the women, the life gen-
erally, the arrival in cattle trucks
of thousands of Jews at a time,
the commencement of transporta-
tion not only of Dutch but also of
German, French, Turkish and
other Jews—the entire tragedy of
the period of German-planned ex-
termination of Jews is portrayed
in this volume that is written with
so much dignity and yet records so
much tragedy.
* * *
The food they were given—it was
an occasion to note "one boiled egg
today" or "two ounces of sugar"—
assists in understanding the suffer-
ings the inmates had undergone.
As the record proceeds, the read-
er learns about more and more and
more transports of people into this
"dispersal camp" and the tem-
porary haven there for those who
were later sent on to Auschwitz.
Mechanicus has left a docu-
ment that exposes another facet
of the German crime. His book is
an important addition to the
testimony about the Nazi era.
In his last reports he told about
shipments to Theresienstadt, about
the battle for existence, the com-
petition for means to acquire food
and the inhumanity of the entire
First a "labor camp," then it
recorded period. His final para-
became a "transit camp" and
graph in his book is a commentary
chandius' record of events. He is
There is a sense of pride in Me- and it states:
The general feeling was that
there had to be a mutual attempt chandicus' record of events. He is
". . . the society we live in Is
A leader of a youth movement to break down existing prejudices the skilled reporter who does not
been taught to have a sober ap-
definitely rotten—man is good for
preciation of the Arabs across in a moshav (a cooperative vil- and to bring about stronger ties cringe but states facts.
nothing.
Everyone here is a thief
lage) told how he brought a Jew- between the two peopls. This could
the border as the enemy, but at
* * *
on a small or a large scale with-
ish agricultural instructor who be done in many ways, beginning
the same time evaluate them as
In one of his early notes (May
out, however, being a criminal.
worked in Arab villages to talk with joint visits to religious and
human beings. Perhaps this is
Anyone who manages to steal a
to his youth group on how the historical sites common to Jews, 30, 1943) he stated: "Like Job the
due to the fact that Israelis have
religious Jews have not lost their
batch of potatoes will also de-
Arabs lived. The discussion Moslems and Christians.
been brought up not on a diet of
trust in God and every Friday eve-
mand a place on the stove to
showed that the youngsters were
hatred, but have been taught to
A call was made for the exten- ning and Saturday evening bear
cook them, often taking up the
beginning to change their atti- sion of the teaching of Arabic
believe that Jews and Arabs can
witness to their devotion to the Al-
time
of those who want to heat
tude towards their neighbors.
live together in peace, but that
in high schools and even for studies mighty. The non-religious . . .
up
their own lawful portions or
the Jews in Israel must always
Some of the speakers at the to begin in the lower grades. Sport trust in their own power and bow
helpings, with coal belonging to
be able to rely on their own meeting felt that the responsibility competitions, hikes, debates should
down their heads before the reli-
the community which gives in to
strength to defend themselves to bring about better understand- be held on a much wider scale.
gious traditions of their camp
his demand. Theft has become
whenever or wherever necessary. ing
The meeting took a decision to
between the two people rests
companions. The believers do not
common to all and authorized by
With this in mind it is per- with the Arab teachers. It is so set up a four-man committee com- inquire about the reasons for their
the community. People boast of
haps easier to understand why dur- simple for the children and young prising representatives from the degradations . . ."
their
spoils ..."
ing the 20 years since the state people to imbibe hatred against Northern, Central and Southern
* * *
Perhaps he was beginning to lose
of Israel has been established, the Jews through radio and tele- districts, and a representative
But there were those who ques- faith. He certainly did not hesitate
efforts have been made to bring vision programs being beamed to from an Arab high school. Its task
state facts as they were. And he
Israeli Jews closer to the Arab Israel from the surrounding Arab will be to arrange an interchange tioned, Mechanicus discusses the to
of
information,
lectures,
films,
and
many
times Jews had been retained dignity. That is why
citizens of the state. Mixed high states—Egypt, Jordan, Syria and
"Year
of Fear" is such a valuable
help
in
the
carrying
out
of
inter-
"plunged
into
damnation,"
and
he
Iraq.
schools have been set up in Haifa,
school visits between Arabs and asserts an old truth: "The will to historical document about the most
Jews.
tragic
era
in history.
THE
DETROIT
JEWISH
NEWS
live-
is
present
in
the
majority
of
40 Friday, January 3, 1969
—