Error in Bombing Creates Worldwide Stir; Israel Again Insists on Total Cease Fire
1967
(From JTA News Wires to
the Jewish News)
The bombing of a civilian metal
plant in Egypt by Israeli jets with
a heavy loss of life last Thursday
has stirred new efforts to defuse
the worsening Middle East crisis.
Israel called the bombing a "re-
grettable error" and stressed that
its policy was to strike only at
military targets in response to
Egypt's declared war of attrition.
In Cairo mobs shouted in the
streets for "revenge in blood."
Acting Secretary of State Elliot
L. Richardson summoned Israel's
Ambassador Itzhak Rabin to the
State Department Friday to con-
vey the U.S. government's sharp
protest against the Israeli air raid.
Ambassador Rabin said after his
meeting with Richardson that his
talk covered the bombing raid and
other aspects of the Middle East
situation. He reiterated Israel's
position that it would observe the
cease-fire provided the Arabs
agreed to do likewise. American
proposals that the Four Powers
undertake immediate efforts to re-
store the cease-fire elicited no im-
mediate response from the UN
representatives of the Soviet
Union, Britain and France at last
week's Big Four meeting, the 26th
that the Big Powers have held on
the Mid East since last April. They
said merely that they would in-
form their governments. Ameri-
can officials expressed "disappoint-
ment" over the lack of a more
positive reaction.
In Washington there was spec-
ulation that the bombing would
delay President Nixon's forth-
coming decision on Israel's re-
quest for more Phantom jets
and other American military
aid. State Department spokesman
Carl Bartch refused comment.
Nixon said at his last press con-
ference Jan. 30 that he would
announce his decision on Israel's
arms request within 30 days.
Reports from Jerusalem said
that Israel expects the U.S. to
agree to deliver more Phantom
and Skyhawk jets despite the
bombing raid. The sources said
Israeli government officials dis-
missed the notion that the raid
would cause any delay. They be-
lieved that the bombing of the
Egyptian factory was a passing
incident that would have no long-
term effect on American policy in
Purely Commentary
By Philip Slomovitz
(Continued from Page 2)
good cause for pride so that they will enlist in the services for which
they are seriously needed.
•
•
•
Anti-Semitism Makes Inroads Into France
the Mid East. Pope Paul VI mean-
while has sent condolences to the
Egyptian government over the
death of 70 civilian workers in the
Israeli raid. Archbishop Agostino
Casaroli, Vatican secretary of the
Church Public Affairs Council,
summoned the Egyptian ambassa-
dor Abdel Halim Makhyoum to in-
form him of the Pope's sorrow
over the bloodshed.
Most newspapers took the posi-
Abba Eban. She claimed that a single day since the June
press reports of the matter were war. However, they said they
would not jump to the conclusion
"highly inaccurate."
that Egypt's relative success in
According to the reports, Eban's
the air and on the ground reflected
proposal was aimed at restoring better training and improved fight-
the cease-fire agreement along the ing qualities. Egypt lost one MIG.
Egyptian front but it was over- 21 in a dogfight which reportedly
whelmingly rejected by his cabinet
planes on both sides.
colleagues. The main opponent was involved 40
Israel Air Force jets blasted
Mrs. Meir who claimed that an Is-
raeli initiative would be misread Egyptian military positions in the
by the Egyptians as a sign of weak- northern section of the Suez Canal
zone for four hours recently and
tion that Israeli's warning to ness, reports here said.
safely to their bases.
Egypt that there were at least
Mrs. Meir said in a radio in- returned
three live bombs in the metal
terview that the government A two-and-a-half hour attack be-
at noon struck at artillery
plant wreckage timed to go off
agreed that as long as the other ginning
24 hours after the raid was proof
side does not adhere to the batteries and anti-aircraft gun po-
sitions
in the target area. The
of the genuineness of Israel's
ceasefire agreements, Is r a el
claim that the plant was hit by
must take all possible steps to planes hit the same targets again
in
a
90-minute
evening raid.
accident. The warning, regarded
protect its security. She said
as unprecedented in warfare,
Israeli anti-aircraft gunners shot
Israel was ready to observe the
down an Egyptian plane in a raid
was issued by Defense Minister
ceasefire fully as soon as the
over the central section of the
Moshe Dayan within hours after
other side stops shooting.
canal
zone. The aircraft, believed
the raid. He said the information
A foreign ministry spokesman
was gleaned from returning rejected an Egyptian claim that to be a Soviet-built Sukhoi-7 fight-
pilots and asked the Interna- the Suez Canal existed only within er-bomber, exploded in mid-air,
tional Red Cross and the UN the context of the United Nations There were no casualties or dam-
cease-fire observers corps to ad- Security Council's Nov. 22, 1967, age caused by the Egyptian attack,
vise Egyptian authorities to resolution. The claim, made in a military spokesman said. But two
search out the bombs and defuse Cairo,. implied that the agreement Israeli soldiers were wounded in
them to avoid further loss of life. was valid only if the terms of the an exchange of fire with Egyptian
The world press universally resolution were implemented. Nas- forces across the waterway.
condemned the bombing of the ser has publicly repudiated the
Military sources reported that
Egyptian metal plant which cost ceasefire.
two Arab saboteurs were killed in
that country its heaviest civilian
clashes
with Irael Army patrols,
The foreign ministry spokes-
casualties since the June 1967 Six- man called the Cairo claim a one of them near Timneh in the
Day War. Some newspapers, how- "falsification and abrogation" of Arava region of the Negev and the
ever, accepted Israel's contention
the cease fire. He noted that the other in the Golan Heights. There
that it was an honest mistake.
agreement dated from June 1967, were no casualties on the Israeli
Others expressed doubts that it
side. Three local Arabs were killed
wasn't deliberate. The New York and was accepted by Egypt and in the Gaza Strip during the pur-
Times, in an editorial called it an other Arab governments, along suit of suspected terrorists.
"inexcusable perversion of Israel's with Israel, In order to terminate
Israel Air Force jets attacked
indisputable right to respond to the hostilities of the Six-Day War.
Egyptian military positions in
President Nasser's 'war of attri- The spokesman said the resolu-
the central section of the Suez
tion.' " The paper said that "Al- tion adopted by the Security Coun-
Canal zone for almost two hours
though Israeli authorities blame a cil the following November had
French reports about the attitudes of Pompidou and his cabinet
an entirely different context, name- . last Tuesday. Monday night they
are far from pleasant. The anti-Israel feeling is not unanimous. But 'technical error,' some such tragic ly
to advance toward an agree-
a one-hour attack in the
there are indications that anti-Semitism is making rapid inroads into incident was an inevitable conse- ment on a just and lasting peace staged
southern section of the Canal
government circles. No one likes condemnation—and French govern- quence of Israel's rash policy of
ment actions are being condemned on a worldwide scale.
There has always been an undercurrent of anti-Semitism among
the French people, and while a large percentage backs up Israel there
are enough haters to cause trouble.
Perhaps that is why so many French Jews—many in the sense
that from a community of half a million there were several thousand
of them—have settled in Israel. That's the usual measuring rod: anti-
Semitism drives many to loyalties and to the haven in Israel.
The developments are tragic. That a nation that was Israel's firm-
est backer on the European continent should have turned against the
people batting for its very existence is distressing.
Perhaps that friendship can be regained! After all, Pompidou can
not remain in power for all time, and there are reasonable people to
replace him.
Israel's and world Jewry major task is to retain and regain friends
—and the most serious task is to keep strengthening American-Israel
friendships.
•
•
Joseph Brainin's Notable Career
•
Joseph Brainin wasione of the most likable personalities in Jewish
life. He always appeared calm, he had a smile and a kind word for all
occasions and never lacked in humor. He seemed composed and un-
ruffled, yet he was a tireless worker—and fearless. Anyone who could
head a committee , to seek justice for a couple that was executed on a
charge of treason must have had strength of character
to pursue something he believed in without fearing con-
■ sequences.
That's bow he operated all the time: fearlessly.
:Whether it was copy for the Seven Arts Feature Syn-
I dicate of which he was the original owner and editor,
or as correspondent for foreign newspapers, or as
spokesman for radical ideas, he expressed his views
as he had developed them.
Yet he was not ultra radical. He had a sense of
Jos. Brainin justice and pursued it. He fought for the underdog and
would not let mass hysteria deter him from causes he sponsored.
It was appropriate, at the funeral service, that the tributes to the
distinguished newsman should have been given by Meyer W. Weisgal
and Maurice Samuel, two of his closest friends and fellow workers in
Jewish ranks.
A note of importance about the deceased is that in tribute to his
services to the Weizmann Institute he received the Institute's Weizmann
Award in the Sciences and Humanities in 1967. Further a $50,000
scholarship was established in his name in perpetuity at the Feinberg
Graduate School by the Weizmann Institute and its American Corn-
mitee, and that this was followed by a $10,000 scholarship in his name
at the school, the gift of the Montreal philanthropist, Meier Segals.
It was well to know Joseph after having had a friendship with his
father Reuben. The elder Brainin was one of the distinguished Hebrew
writers, lecturers, Zionist leaders. It is orderly to assess the two as
having been alike in many ways—in their pursuit of cultural ideas, in
their adherence to the Zionist cause, in their passionate defense of the
underprivileged.
Joseph Brainin and Reuben Brainin were alike also in their jour-
nalistic skills. Joseph certainly knew how to edit a newspaper, how to
conduct a news service, and as executive vice president of American
Friends of the Weizmann Institute, he succeeded, together with his close
friend Meyer Weisgal, in creating a great interest in a great cause.
That's how Joseph Brainin can be summarized: he succeeded in
advancing great causes. Those who knew him will bless his memory.
4$—Friday, February 20, 1970
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
attacking military targets close to
the crowded Egyptian capital.
These attacks are too hazardous to
continue.")
In London Friday, British For-
eign Secretary Michael Stewart
issued a statement deploring the
air raid. He said the British gov-
ernment was giving "urgent con-
sideration" to a U.S. proposal that
the Big Four powers issue a joint
appeal for restoration of the
cease fire.
The Sunday Observer of London
said the heavy loss of civilian lives
from the Israeli raid, whether in-
tended or not, marked a serious
stage in the escalation of Mid East
warfare. The paper said it would
"impose severe pressures on Nas-
ser to retaliate in kind, even at
suicidal cost." Rome newspapers
were inclined to accept Israel's
acknowledgement of an error in
the bombing, except for the Com-
munist press. Most newspapers
refrerred to Israel's efforts in the
past to avoid hitting civilian cen-
ters. But the news agency Ansa
carried a dispatch from its Cairo
correspondent noting that the
metal works was bombed with
such precision as to cast doubts
on Israel's assertion that it was
a mistake.
The Egyptians made their 13th
air strike against Israeli positions
on the Suez Canal in 11 days while
Israeli jets maintained their con-
stant pounding of Egyptian canal
positions.
Israeli officials asked the Red
Cross for information about Lt.
Avinoam Klidess, a fighter pilot
whose jet was shot down in battle
with Egyptian jets over the canal.
He was seen to bail out and reach
ground where he was taken
prisoner.
Information also was sought
about two Israeli civilians kid-
naped by Egyptian commandos in
a Suez Canal crossing. An Israeli
force crossed into Jordan and
killed two Arab saboteurs and
captured a third. Israel casualties
in a heavy one-day shelling at the
canal rose to six dead, the heaviest
in one day since the 1967 war.
Premier Golda Meir denied that
there was a rift in her cabinet
over an Israeli peace initiative
proposed by Foreign Minister
between the Arab states and
Israel.
Sixty-five local Arabs were in-
jured when a hand grenade ex-
ploded outside of the military gov-
ernor's office in Khan Yunis in the
Gaza Strip. The wounded included
an 85-year-old man and 22 teen-
agers.
Israeli officials said the grenade
was deliberately thrown into the
crowd of civilians in order to in-
cense the local population against
Israeli authorities. They quoted
one of the Arabs wounded as com-
plaining bitterly that "the guer-
rillas fight against us but not
against the Israelis on the front
line." A curfew was imposed on
the entire northern area of the
Gaza Strip but was lifted after local
headmen assured Israeli authorities
that they would maintain order.
Pvt. David Cohen, 19, of Kiryat
Shemona, was killed in artillery
exchanges between Israeli and
Egyptian forces in the central
section of the waterway. Lucien
Lalozs, 21, a civilian worker from
Beersheba employed by the mili-
tary, died of injuries he suffered
in an air raid.
Israeli authorities conceded that
the dead and wounded suffered in
the Suez Canal zone and the loss
of a jet constituted the heaviest
casualties sustained by Israel in
Congressional Candidate
Dropped by Illinois GOP
for Biased Campaign
CHICAGO (JTA)—The Repub-
lican Party in Chicago has repudi-
ated the candidacy of J. Emil Vir-
dine and condemned his "blatant
campaign against Jews."
Virdine, running for Congress in
the southwest side's 5th District, is
an Independent candidate seeking
Republican nomination for Con-
gress. Edmund J. Kucharski,
chairman of the Republican Cen-
tral Committee of Cook County,
said that Virdine's "blatant cam-
paign against Jews is reminiscent
of the worst type of Nazi propa-
ganda."
A neighborhood newspaper in
the district, the Southwest News-
Herald, condemned Virdine's cam-
paign tactics in an editorial
Zone. All aircraft returned safely
to their bases.
A military spokesman said last
Tuesday's targets were Egyptian
bunkers, anti aircraft gun emplace-
ments, vehicle concentrations and
army camps in the canal area.
An Israeli soldier was injured
when a tractor hit an anti-vehicle
mine at Nahal Dikla. The tractor
and a nearby truck were damaged.
Another Israeli soldier was wound-
ed Monday night in an exchange of
fire with Jordanian forces near the
Allenby Bridge. A military spokes-
man said the Jordanians began
shelling Israeli position at 10 p.m.
local time, and Israelis returned
the fire. An Israeli patrol was at-
tacked with gunfire and hand
grenades near Bethlehem Monday
night and returned the fire. There
were no casualties.
Three Israeli soldiers were in-
jured when their car struck an an-
ti-vehicle mine in the northern Ga-
za Strip near Khan Yunis. A mili-
tary spokesman reported a series
of shooting incidents and mortar
shellings in the Golan Heights and
in Upper Galilee near the Leb-
anese border.
A military spokesman said that
mortar shells were fired at Israeli
positions on the southern slope of
Mt. Hermon.
Egyptian aircraft attacked
Israeli positions near Kantara in
the northern section of the Snell
Canal Zone Wednesday.
A military spokesman said there
were no casualties or damage.
Israeli jets raided Egyptian mili-
tary installations in the northern
section of the canal zone late Tues-
day and returned safely to base.
The Israel air force carried out
other raids in the canal zone Tues-
day morning and afternoon and
blasted Egyptian SAM missile sites
about 19 miles south of Cairo.
An Israeli patrol was attacked
Wednesday morning near Yardena
in the Beisan Valley. The fire
came from across the Jordan River
and was returned by Israeli forces.
No casualties were reported.
Several Katyusha rockets were
fired at Israeli posts in the Kun-
eitra Rea of the Golan Heights
Tuesday night without causing
casualties or damage.