Gunboat Incident Causes Furor in French Circles
•
"They are not gunboats be- I our money back and the matter is
the government's response to Is-
are no guns aboard." • now between the French and the
pected to pass between Crete and rael would not be known until af- cause there
the open ter the French cabinet's session Brenner said in an interview at new owners," the embassy spokes-
Rhodes before making
sea run to Israel. where they were Wednesday. • Seim's home. "They are good, fast man is reported to have said.
In Paris Sunday, Foreign Minis-
The severance of diplomatic vessels which will be used in oil
expected to arrive late Wednesday relations
with Israel has not been drilling operations off the coast of ter Jacques Chaban-Delmas or-
Thursday.
or There
were "smiles all around excluded, but informed sources Israel and Indonesia, and perhaps dered a full-scale inquiry into the
gunboat affair. Former Informa-
America," he said.
in Israel." the London Sunday Ex- here said a strong diplomatic in South
The five boats slipped out of lion Minister Louis Terrenoire,
press reported. as the news of the protest was likely.
president of the Franco - Arab
France was expected to declare Cherbourg on Dec. 25 officered
gunboat coup got around. The
Friendship Association, filed ques-
paper noted that there was no of- the Israeli Defense Ministry rep- by Norwegian merchant maxi-
ficial comment on th the incident but resentative in Europe, Rear Ad- nets with Israeli rted
crews.
The
lions
for the
prime minister
in the
to have National
Assembly
on the circum-
that "people in the streets of Tel miral Mordecai Limon, persona
Aviv
were
congratulating
them-
non
grata.
According
to
the
French
boats
were
repohe
Straits
of
stances
surrounding
the
departure
through
t
Aviv
of the gunboats.
selves on having 'pulled a fast one Defense Ministry, Adm. Limon Gibraltar Saturday, headed east-
The five gunboats were the last
wrote a letter renouncing all Is- ward, flying no flag.
on the French.' "
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency of a class of 12 such vessels or-
raeli claims to the gunboats after
(Continued from Page 1)
Israel continued Tuesday to
maintain strict official silence
over the affair of the five gun-
boats. But measures that might
be taken by France to demon-
strafe its displeasure over the
evasion of the embargo were said
to be the subject of day-long
consultations at Israel's foreign
ministry,
their
purported shipbuilder
sale to Norway.
A Norwegian
and an reported from Rome Sunday that dered by Israel in 1966. They were
Israeli business executive con- Italian Navy sources at Palermo designed to carry the Israel-made
netted with the firm that allegedly said
was "an
unusual
missile. before
Seven
ber" there
of Israeli
naval
units num-
at of sea-to-sea
the boats "Gabrial"
were delivered
purchased
the five
embargoed
gunboats
insisted
in Oslo
Tuesday present in the Mediterranean be- June
1967 de when
former
President
Charles
Gaulle
charged
Israel
with aggression and imposed an
that the boats were intended pure- tween Sardinia and Sicily.
Italian coastal stations picked arms embargo ostensibly on all
ly for civilian commercial pur- up numerous signals exchanged belligerents in the Six-Day War.
poses.
The remaining five boats were
Martin Seim, director general between Israeli ships. The strength
Political
sources
said Israel
is of the Aker Group, Norway's of the radio signals being received held in Cherbourg as they were
Polit
considering
the possibility
that
France will recall its ambassador, largest shipbuilding enterprise, ac- in Sicily, the Italian sources said, completed. The last of the class,
Franci Hure. Israelis also are knowledged that he was the repre- confirmed the presence of the christened Eilat, was launched
prepared for a more militantly sentative in Norway of Starboat ships in that area. only
two weeks
Is- Israeli
naval ago.
crews and tech-
an
stand by France both and Weill. He said Israel wanted Wire service reports quoted
a ti-Israel
international relations and in the five boats for offshore oil rael Embassy sources in Paris as nicians bad been living in Cher-
in
saying that the boats, which cost bourg for months, ready to take
prospecting.
bilateral relations with Israel.
$1,000,000 apiece, had been sold over the boats if the French lifted
The same reason was stated
•The Israel Embassy in Paris has
the Norwegian firm and that the embargo. But no such move
requested another meeting with the by Seim's friend, Mila Brenner, to
Israeli crews aboard them was made by the French govern-
French Foreign Ministry, and the director of Maritime Fruit Car- the
were "loaned" to the new owners. meat.
government here is said to be riers, Ltd., an Israeli shipping
According to reports from
"Apart from that, it has nothing
awaiting a report on its outcome. firm which is the main stock-
more to do with us. We have got Cherbourg, the boats' departure
The Israeli ambassador to France, holder in Starboat and Weill.
Walter Eytan, is home on leave.
The Israeli charge d'affaires in
Paris, Eytan Ron, was reported
rebuked Monday by Foreign Min-
ister Maurice Schumann over the
again last week and criticized the of the brief Israel-Arab wars. Did
(Continued from Page 1)
gunboat affair. Ron reportedly dis-
Mr. Nixon, as the then vice presi-
Thus, the Rockefellers have be- Nixon regime for changing its pol- dent, inherit an appeasement pol-
avowed all knowledge of 'the gun-
icy toward Israel, it may have
come involved in the confusing alerted those who had begun to icy toward Israel, some now ask?
boats.
(Newsweek, in the current issue,
Political circles in France said
controversies—one brother makes fall asleep on the job in the task under
the title "Jewish Lobby," offers
Tuesday that the government will
vague pro-Israel statements, an- of protecting Israel's right to live. this view on the issue: Not unexpected-
severely discipline certain high-
ly, Secretary Rogers took issue with
Cardinal Cushing, in his latest Israel's use of the term "appeasement."
other is quoted as having done the
ranking officials who are be-
suggests that the Arabs are enemies
threatening to Washington. This statement, warned that a U.S. col- "It
lieved to have collaborated with
of the United States," he said. "Of
business
is
yet
to
be
cleared
up.
laboration
in the Middle East with course, that isn't true." But as U.S.
Israelis in the gunboat affair.
officials
knew only too well, the Arabs
Russia, France and Great Britain
Washington's close friends,
The official most frequently
Arabs gathered at Rabat made "may end in calamity for Israel" are hardly
the goal of improving America's
mentioned as facing punishment is lots of advance claims of unity to and again he called for "face-to- and
standing with them clearly loomed
Gen. Louis Bonte, who heads the destroy Israel, broke up in confu- face negotiation" between Israel large in the administration's proposals
concessions by Israel. American
Interministerial Commission on sion, and now Washingtonians and the Arab states as "the only for
investors with oil and other interests
Arms Exports. It was this com- claim that the U.S. position may be effective way to achieve a real in the Middle East have long advocated
stronger ties with the Arabs, and in
mission which approved the sale credited with having scared the pe ace."
early December a group of business
David Rockefeller,
of the gunboats to a Norwegian Arabs away from unifying against
Cardinal Cushing said: "Propo- leaders—including
of New York's Chase Man-
"front" firm, Starboat and Weill, Israel in an all-out effort. Israelis sals made In Washington within president
hattan Bank—visited President Nixon to
S.A.
and students of Middle East poli- the past few days seem to me to warn him that U.S. influence with the
was shrinking dangerously. The
The commission never checked tics know better: they know that reflect a departure from a previ- s Arabs Detirte
ment, too, has a hard core
out the firm, which is registered Arabs would destroy each other if ous well established determination Of tate • ,Am
ec fterlon.
y se argued
s
in Panama and has close connec- it were not for the unity that on the part of the United States to who have consistently
more even-handed policy. "Some feel
binds them against Israel; but they insist on direct negotiation be- that the United States came out too
tions to Israel.
and too unquestionably on the
Other less prominent officials of also know that Arabs will not tween Israel and the Arab states. often
side of Israel, dissipating our influence
the ministries of finance and trans- make even minutest concessions to Efforts by our government and the with the Arab governments," said one
"There is also resentment at
port reportedly will face charges each other if it involves giving up governments of the Soviet Union, official.
the influence of what might be called
of collusion with Israel. They were individual rights to oil holdings. England and France to impose the domestic Jewish lobby.")
These same authorities in Wash- peace terms may end in calamity
responsible for customs and port
The growing feeling now is that
formalities that somehow failed to ington are now puzzled and in a for Israel, which needs so desper- the oil interests are more menac-
prevent the five embargoed gun- dilemma when they learn that not ately to be secure, to be free, to ing to the peace efforts than ever
boats from slipping out of Cher- all of Israel's friends have van- help remake the lives of thousands before, and there is the general
bourg on Christmas Day, un- ished—although for a time that driven out of Europe by harsh re-
noticed by the harbormaster and looked like a real menace to Israel pression." Cardinal Cushing urged
and to world Jewry. When Richard the Nixon administration "to cling
without official clearance.
French action with regard to Cardinal Cushing of the Boston fast to the policy rooted in the
these officials and the nature of Roman Catholic Diocese spoke out realization that lasting peace in
was cleared by French customs
and port authorities just before
Christmas. Their sailing was de-
layed by rough weather. But the
boats slipped out of port after
dark on Christmas day. The port
captain said he did not see them
leave apparently because they
showed no navigational lights.
Their departure was not reported
officially.
Some diplomatic circles abroad
implied that the French permitted
the gunboats to be taken over by
Israel, using the Norwegian firm
as a "blind." They said the French
wanted to dispose of the feeling
that they are discriminating against
Israel although they are not pre-
pared to incense the Arab world
by lifting the arms embargo.
These sources said the French
may have made the gesture to-
ward Israel in order to go ahead
with an alleged $400,000,000 arms
sale to Libya, a deal which re-
portedly includes 50 Mirage jets.
The 50 Mirages that Israel bought
and paid for two years ago are
still under embargo.
Some diplomatic sources abroad
claimed that the French, taking
note of the fiasco at the Rabat
Arab summit conference last week,
were leaving an escape hatch open
to avoid complete identification
with the Arab cause. There is a
group of pro-Israel Gaullist depu-
ties in Paris pressing for a French
reconciliation with Israel.
•
• •
•
Expedience'
Negates Traditional American Policies
convictions that Arabists were
never less numerous than friends
of Israel in the State Department.
George
AFL-C10 President
Meany's condemnation of current
trends in the State Department
are part of an awakening of what
is transpiring.
There are other matters that
now trouble many people. In the
first place, Israel does not have
the traditional friends in Cong-
ress: many so-called liberals are
evidencing deaf ears to Israel's
appeals. Secondly, the new trends
in this country—the turn to the
right, the feared rightist victories
—are interpreted as pointing to
another spread of anti-Semitism,
with the attitude of antagonism
towards Israel as a basis for such
prejudice. It is in this area that
the misguided Jewish New Leftists
fall prey to false propaganda and,
instead of being the great liberals
their people's traditions teach
them, are tools in a scheme that
leads to anti-Semitism.
Much of the troubles are trace-
able to the motives that stem from
expedience. We now learn anew
from historic experience. —P.S.
Young Texans Sing to Israelis
Temple Mount a Historic Relic
4-
••••%. J.
This is the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
The lower stones date from the time of King Herod and were there
during the life of Jesus. The Wailing Wall, also consisting of stones
from Herod's time, is a continuation of the corner (left). Dome
(right) is the El Aksa Mosque.
40 Friday, Jaavary 2, 1970
—
the Middle East is achievable only
by face-to-face negotiation be-
tween the Arab states and Israel."
What has happened here is that
Secretary of State William P. Rog-
ers has denied there is appease-
ment of the Arabs, that the new
U. S. proposals which, in effect.
would cause Israel to lose all of
the occupied territories in ex-
change for what many interpret
as a questionable Arab commit-
ment for a binding peace. was
"entirely consistent" and "fair,"
in interpreting the UN resolution
of Nov. 22, 1967. which supposedly
provided in the new American
view the "framework" for a peace
formula.
But none of the apologetics coin-
cide with the position that was
taken by President Lyndon B.
Johnson when, on June 19, 1967,
he declared that "the parties to
the conflict must be the parties to
the peace."
Now many ask whether Presi-
dent Nixon may not have acquired
some of the thinking of the late
President Dwight D. Eisenhower
who, in 1957, forced a total Israeli
evacuation from the Sinai territory
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS that was acquired in the second
The "Rebellaires," a teen-age American singing group from Fort
Worth, departed for a concert tour of Israel and presented keys of
Fort Worth to various Israeli mayors. The 15 high school students
are meeting with Israeli youths. They sang in Bethlehem on Christ-
mas Eve, continuing to Nazareth and Jerusalem before returning
home. The trip to Israel was aboard one of Air France's "Welcome
to Israel" flights. With the help of the Fort Worth community, the
"Rebellaires" managed to raise close to S10,000 in eight weeks for
their holiday tour.