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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Friday, August 2, 1974-39

Civil Rights Expert Gives Israel High
Marks in the Practice of Democracy

Terrorists Charge Terror
Being 'Waged by 'Zionists'

PARIS (JTA)—The Pales-
tine Liberation Organization
k PLO) has demanded the
French government take
steps against what it calls
"Zionist criminals" planning
a new wive of murders in
France.

-

In a communique, the PLO
charges that a "new Zionist
plot aiming to attack all
those militating for the free-
dom of the Palestinian peo-
ple" is being organized in
Europe and has as its main
target the PLO representa-
tive in France.
The PLO demanded the
French government confront
these threats and "pursue
the Zionist criminals whO
have already committed with
impunity several assassina-
tions in France and who are
preparing in plain daylight
new actions of the same
kind."
It further called on French
authorities to "dismantle
once and for all the Israeli
and Zionist secret service
networks in France."

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On a scale of five stars,
Israeli democracy would rate
4 1/2, it appears from an
article in The Nation by Uni-
versity of Michigan scholar
Carl Cohen.
Dr. Cohen, professor of phi-
losophy and president of the
American Civil Liberties
Union in Michigan, said that
while democracy is far from
ideal in Israel, "it is an ideal
seriously pursued and it is,
in fact, realized to a degree
of which we Americans, who
befriend and support Israel,
may be proud."
How is it determined if a
nation is democratic? Prof.
Cohen says the description is
earned when "the members
of the community participate
in making the decisions that
steer their collective life.
The Israeli system is like
that."
Specifically, he noted:
"Israel has, in theory and
in actual fact, a parliamen-
tary system closely approxi-
mating ideal representative
democracy . . . The franchise
is genuinely universal and
honestly protected."
"Of course, like every sys-
tem, this one has pains and
costs. The almost absolute
need for coalition means
that there is never-ending ar-
gument within the govern-
ment ove r the concessions
demanded by the several
competing elements of the
governing coalition.
"Perhaps worst of all, the
system makes it very diffi-
cult, except in a few circum-
stances, to vote for persons.
Each party offers a long list
of candidates; the voter can
hardly -be expected to know
many of the names on one,
or a few, not to speak of a
dozen lists; hence his vote
will inevitably be for a party,
the candidates themselves
having been chosen by the
party to represent its gen-
eral interests."
On the other hand ... "un-
like the voter in the two-party
system, he is not normally
forced to swallow an aggre-
gate of positions, some of
which he really wants to dis-
_ avow. This fractionalization
of the electorate, although

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cumbersome, does provide
real opportunity for small
but intense minorities, how-
ever extreme, to be effec-
tively represented where it
counts."
Noting the stability of the
Israeli government (often
criticized by younger ele-
ments as the "old guard"),
Cohen says that, neverthe-
less, "the election of those
leaders has been scrupulously
fair and truly free . . That
government continues to ex-
ercise authority only as long
as the voters really want it
to, their opportunities to re-
place it with a different set
of parties and persons being
frequent and genuine."
Cohen concedes that "For
the efficient application of
political energies, the Israeli
system is inferior to those of
other democracies. But as
machinery devised to make
concrete the will of the peo-
ple in their parliament, it is
a system that comes very
close to mathematical perfec-
tion. Its actual use, more-
over, has been energetic,
fair and, on the whole, suc-
cessful."
Because of Israel's pre-
carious security position, it
would be easy to resort to
martial law. Yet, Prof. Cohen
writes, "The erosion of demo-
cratic spirit and practice
that widespread militariza-
tion threatens has not de-
veloped in Israel. Ugly ter-
rorism, in the very bosom of
daily life, has not resulted
in the deprivation of rights
to non-Jewish minorities. -
"Indeed, the continuing
participation of Arab and
other minorities in the life
of the Israeli community —
in local and national govern-
ment, in economic and cul-
tural activities — is a tribute
not only to the self-control
of the Israeli Jews but to the
evident loyalty of Israelis of
all religions and backgrounds.
That loyalty has rendered
suppression unthinkable."
"All this is not to say that
there have been no abuses of
due process, or of the equal
protection of the laws. There
have been recurrent in-
stances of both. All things
considered, it is fair to say
that, in . Israel, the restraint
and s e 1 f-control of law-
enforcement agencies and
officers has been admirable.
Indeed, the record there, of
general respect for the rights
of the criminally accused, is
superior to our own."
The consensus regarding
defense needs that has de-
veloped under wartime stress
cuts across "virtually the en-
tire scope of political life,"
says Prof, Cohen. This con-
sensus "does inevitably damp
some political activity, re-
ducing the field of political
thought and action." On the
other hand, the principles of
unity, "reinforced brshared
threats and sacrifices," do
yield a bonus: "bonds that
reinforce the fraternal base
upon which community self-
government is built,
"If manipulated and mis-
led, such unity and trust can
serve as the instrument of
despotism," writes Cohen.
"In Israel it is not manipu-
lated, serving instead as the

matrix of healthy democra-
cy."
Despite discrimination in
some areas of employment
(particularly government)
and the Arab Israeli's "sense
of ethnic exclusion," "rela-
tions between Jewish and
Arab citizens of Israel do not
go badly, overall . . . Be-
tween Arab and Jewish citi-
zens of Israel tension will not
disappear, but the prospects
for long-term harmony are
good."
Describing the de facto in-
equalities between European
and Oriental Jews, Cohen
adds that while it hurts
democracy, it is not "dead-
ly." His optimism is built on
three factors: "vigorous par-
ticipation of Oriental Jews
in government," especially
local; the inflow of Soviet
Jews which, ultimately, will
see "the further diffusion of
economic and political
power"; and the fact that
absorption is top priority,
after defense, of the Israeli
government.
The strongest evidence of
democracy's success in Is-
rael, writes Cohen, was the
"procedure and spirit" of

Power Failure Hits
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the recent
recent national elections.
"It is not merely that the
level of participation is high
but that all, leaders and led,
are deeply concerned that it
rerhain high . . . In Israel,
as in every healthy democ-
racy, an acute feeling of re-
sponsibility attends the bal-
lot."
Cohen comes to the con-
clusion:
"In some lands the veneer
of public voting covers, or
partly cover s, continuing
manipulation of the people.
The Israeli people may err in
choosing their governors, and
no doubt do so on occasion,
but manipulated they are not.
Freedom of speech and of
the press is real, and it is
exercised vigoro-usly even
during the most perilous
times. The choices of the Is-
raeli people, for good or ill,
are freely and openly made.
The nation is theirs; loyalty
to it is passionate b u t
rational."

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TEL AVIV (JTA) — A
breakdown in one of the new

turbines at the Ashdod power
station produced blackouts
June 25 in whole sections of
Tel Aviv and surrounding
towns and affected factory
operations.
Traffic lights failed, caus-
ing widespread inconvenience
to motorists.
Police struggled to get traf-
fic back to normal but- were
unable to prevent new traf-
fic jams because of the in-
operative traffic lights.
Officials also reported de-
lays in cable and telex serv-
ice, which reduced service
severely from the Jewish Te-
legraphic Agency here to JTA
international headquarters in
New York.

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