Purely Commentary
Facts That Defy Fables from Arab Lands About October War
Boasting about the October 1973 victory, demonstrators in Cairo an Damascus,
on the first anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, were left with the impression that
Israel was beaten decisively. How many were misled by such celebrations? Were
the Israelis dismayed both by the claims to triumph and the reiterated threats to
Israel's existence?
Factually, the war that resulted in so many casualties, with such tragic losses
to Israel, was a victory for the Israelis who, under most difficult conditions, repulsed
the enemies and were victorious against great odds.
The summary of the factual results, provided by the Hebrew afternoon Israeli
newspaper, Yediot Ahronot, contained these details:
The' greatest Arab vic-
tory in the last thousand
years was attained in a
holy war—"Jihad"—against
the state of Israel, with its
three- million inhabitants;
the war was waged by
Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan,
Morocco, Kuwait, Saudi
Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia and
Algeria, with a total popu-
lation of 111,292,000.
Planned, prepared a n d
financed — by the USSR
— controlled by Kissinger-
Nixon; under the auspices
of the UN Security Council.
The attacking for ces:
1,000,000 Arab soldiers, re-
inthreed by volunteers
pilots and tank crews—from
North Vietnam, North Kor-
ea and Cuba; 5,500 tanks:
1,000 aircraft; .200 batteries
of SAM missiles; 3,500 long-
range guns; ultra-modern
electronic equipment; anti-
tank missiles used for the
first time ever as a per-
ional infantry weapon.
Attack: Oct. 6, 1973.
Shabat and • Yom Kippur,
the holiest of Jewish holi-
days. The day when all
communications media close
down completely, as well as
public and private trans-
portation. The entire Jewish
population is under full cur-
few, whether in the syna-
gogues or at home.
2 p.m. — Waves of tanks
and hordes of men armed
with anti-tank missile s
cross the canal and raid
the Bar-Lev Line, which is
manned at the time by 436
Israeli soldiers.
1,500 tanks and 2,000 long-
.
range guns are moved into
the Sinai Desert, backed up
by 150 SAM missile batter-
ies. They encounter a total
of 80 Israeli tanks. Another
170-tanks are scattered over
the entire area of the Sinai
Desert.
At the same time-150,000
Syrian soldiers, in 2,000
tanks and with 1,300 long-
range guns, swarm over the
Golan Heights backed up
by 35 SAM batteries. They
are countered by 170 Israeli
tanks in the entire Golan.
Less than half of these are
along the front line.
The happy ending: "This
is the happiest day of my
life" said the USSR am-
bassador in Cairo, Mr. Vino-
gradov, when he heard of
the attack.
Perhaps Mr. Vinogradov
knew something more, which
laymen Israelis s t ill do
not know. In any case, he
had no doubts as to the out
come. The Security Council
apparently shared this-cer-
tainty. It had nothing to
worry about as far as Arab
security was concerned_ It
waited patiently during the
early days of the fighting.
It slumbered. It woke up
suddenly, in a panic, When-
• The defeated Israeli army
reached a point 85 km. from
Cairo and .35 km. from Da-
mascus.
• The defeated army cap-
tured, in Egypt, on the west-
ern bank of the canal, an
area of 3,000 square . km ,
and 400 square km. in Syria.
The area held by the Is-
raeli army in Egypt amount-
ed to about 17 per cent of
Israel's area prior to the
Six-Day War.
• The Third Army of Egypt,
with about 20,000 soldiers,
was trapped in a desert en-
clave, which might well
have proved its grave.
• In addition to these 20,-
000, Israel took 8,301 Egyp-
tian POWs, 615 of whom
were officers.
• On the Golan Heights, the
Israeli Army took 378 Syr-
ian POWs, included 37
officers.
• There were 238 Israeli
POWs on the Egyptian
front. There were 102 miss-
ing Israeli soldiers, over
half of whom were discov-
ered, after a considerable
length of time, to be POWs,
while the remainder were
bestially murdered.
• The Egyptians lost 263
aircraft, 1,000 tanks and 40-
50 SAM missile batteries.
• The Syrians lost 222 air-
craft, 1,100 tanks, and 17-20
SAM missile batteries.
It was only when all this
emerged that the Security
Council began violently agi-
tating against Israeli ag-
gression, and applied Soviet
threats and Kissingerian
diplomacy to achieve an
immediate cessation of
fighting.
The ceasefire, which be-
came operative on Oct. 22,
also ended the jihad. It
saved the Third Army from
decimation, and the Second
Army from being encircled
in another desert enclave,
in the northern sector of the
Canal.
This is not a matter of boasting, either by Israel or world Jewry. It is cause
for serious concern over what happened and an emphasis on the hope that the
tragedies will not be repeated.
Perhaps the facts, which refute the claims to victory from Beirut on behalf
of Cairo and Damascus, serve as an assurance that Israelis not only know how to
defend themeselves but are determined to protect lives and the state's sovereignty.
Perhaps they are an added warning to enemies not to attempt further efforts to
destroy Israel.
Will they encourage a search for peace? Will the Arab capitals continue to
disseminate hatred and refusals to strive for peace? Regrettably, the world powers
are so panicked by the oil potentates that there -is more talk of,war than aspiration
for amity. -
Instead of giving inspiration to peace aims all current talk is about Israel
standing alone, about the United States . commencing a chopping of assistance to
Israel, about the NATO powers serving as tools for the sheiks' demand upon man-
kind.
Therefore, the air is laden with hatred, fears, a lack of justice for a small
and constantly embattled nation. Therefore, the kinsmen of that small nation are
unceasingly under demand always to be on guard that another- Holocaust should -
never again find root anywhere, even if so-called civilized peoples are blinded by
the shocking oil-infested desertlands seeking control of the world's economy and
human resources.
Recapitulation of Struggles Viewed as Victories
for Israel's Enemies and the Boasts of Heraldry
in Their True Context of a People's Lifelines
By Philip
Slomovitz
Urgent Need for Increased Concern With Public Relations
driven - out of Israel when the state was
A period of serious testing of the mer-
born. It is being forgotten that less than
its of Jewish leadership is approaching.
half a million Arabs fled the country, they
Israel may be ruled out of the upcoming
examination. The embattled little state is
were not expelled. They could have
a case all its own. Her diplomatic force,
shared life with Jews in the redeemed
her government, will have their battle-
Israel, as the nearly 140,000 Arabs who
fronts on the international arena. But
remained did and are doing in even
larger numbers.
world Jewry will be especially tried and
tested, and American Jewry will be the
Is Israel and world Jewry properly
chief object in an examination of strength
protected against fabled distortions of
and willpower in the process of handling
truth? Where are our academicians, why
unavoidably challenging issues.
is the intellectual Jewish community
slumbering? Will they awaken in time to
It is the 1920s and 1940s all over again.
prevent calamity?
Once again the anti-Semite is on the
This is a time for awakening!
scene, and the barricades against Jewish
National Jewish organizations can de-
national redemption are in sight again,
being erected by enemies who would de-
fend themselves. The facts are at hand.
stroy what has been built with the sweat
They are often disseminated. But the refu-
and blood of the pioneers who adhered to
tations of assaults on Israel and Je
prophecy and thee, survivors of Auschwitz,
not always effective. They often fall
and Treblinka and Dachau who found
of the intended mark.
refuge from holocaustian brutalities.
An issue at hand may prove the point.
Ramparts magazine, pursuing the pro-
Now the obstructionists are from many
Communist line, has been among the lead-
lands. They would destroy the redeemers
ers in condemnation of Israel. Its staff
of Zion. They come from the oil-rich
which includes an impressive number of
Arabian bloc and froin the Western coun-
Jewish members, surely might have pro-
tries which are listed in the democratic
vided data .to offset the largely negative
and civilized column.
propaganda in its columns. Instead, the
History should have provided Jewry
head of the editorial department has in-
with defensive powers to overcome the
jected into an article entitled "The Passion
dangers that now stem from an' abortive
of the Jew" so much that distorts that
organization of the nations of the world
the results are pathetic.
as well as from the selfishly deluded
monarchs of the oil fields who have begun
Granted that the Ramparts intentions
to control the economy of the entire world
are most honorable. Yet the effects are so
and are not satisfied with 20 powerful-in-
damaging that the question must be posed
dependent states in their denial of a min-
why the author should have resorted to'
ute area to their Israeli cousins.
what must be interpreted as resort to half
How is this costly attained right to a
truths. In the Ramparts article the maga-
minute measure of sovereignty to be pro-
zine's editor utilized every available epi-
tected for little Israel? Is world Jewry
sode in recent years to malign Zionism and
able to raise a strong enough voice in
he began with the views of Ahad HaAm
defense of justice in Eretz Israel? There
(Asher Ginsberg) published in 1891. It
were occasions when American Jews were
might have been a justified criticism of
compelled to make demands upon hesi-
the early Jewish settlers' attitudes towards
tant administrations and antagonistic
the Arabs. But Ahad HaAm himself be-
State Department officials, when British
came a Palestinian activist in 1920, 30
Jews were equally courageous in their
years later—and while he remained the
protests against their government's For-
cultural Zionist he was not the anti-Zionist
eign Office. If itinice is losing its stance
portrayed in Ramparts and in a volume
in the process of international intrigues
that was entitled "Zionism" (see Purely
that are being plotted against Israel, will
Commentary, Sept. 27, 1974) and misused
there be loud enough voices in Jewish
the term with emphases like the Ahad
ranks to speak out defensively?
HaAmism of old.
There is need to avert panic, the Arab
Are' there knowledgeable Jews on the
outcry for Israel's destruction, the shock-
Jewish ramparts, gallantly to refute the
ing proposals for a Palestine limited, to
regrettable outpourings of attacks on
the .Jews who were there before 1917,
Zionism and Israel, and incidentally on .
spell out a _warning that man's inhuman-
world Jewry? Has knowledgeability van-
ity to man is again on the agenda of the
ished in Jewish ranks, so that the fault-
heartless who would not hesitate to rein-
finding becomes indisputable and the liber-
troduce the Holocaust.
tarianism of Zionism is dragged through
Israel's rebirth meant . not only the
the gutter?
acquisition of a national address for the
Defensive apologetics is not limited to
Jewish people. It spelled firmly the re-
theology. It is an obligatory science that
jection of any -other attempt to make
demands protection for the abused. Resort
Jewish life valueless. Israelis - will assert
to distortive polemics - undermines human-
it. It there proper preparation to assure
ism. The campaign to harm Israel is the
a leadership that will demand it?
acme of the inhumanity of man to man,
because it denies the right to statehood,
Since a nation and its kinsmen wher-
to legalized sovereignty to an entire nation.
ever they may reside must not yield to
When Jeis become partners in a battle of
panic—fear not, is the traditional warn-
destruction, they are even guiltier."
ing to Jews—it must at least take into
The mounting proof that Israel's ene-
account skepticism. There is justification
mies are ganging up, distorting truths,
in this hour of serious danger to feel un-
utilizing Jewish sources for unjust misrep-
easy. Complacency could mean a yielding
resentations of humanism and libertarian-
to threatened destruction. The time has
ism, demands - counter-action. Our defen-
come to demand actin from Jewish
sive agencies, the Zionist establishment,
spokesmen.
even the leaders of fund-raising,. -e-
The enemies of Israel and Jewry are
ments, have thus far failed to p-
already fully mobilized. The claims in the
the basic task of emphasizing the true
name of Palestinians have already mis-
facts that demand fullest international pro-
represented truth and the impression is
tection for Israel.
given that millions of Arabs have been
Tragically, United Nations Drags Mankind Into the Jungle'
The horror perpetrated at the UN on Monday revives
the painful question regarding the impotence of the world
organization and the bigotries .practiced there in human-
ity's name.
Humanity is on trial. The nations of the world were
tested and were found wanting. Only Bolivia and the
Dominican Republic exercised courage by voting against
the PLO terrorists with Israel and the United States. .
Even our government's spokesman adopted an apolo-
getic attitude by resorting to a technicality.
The Western powers either supported terrorism or
abstained, thereby displaying a cowardice that is matched
2—Friday, October 18, 1974 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
only by submission to oil when it is confronted with the
human issuwes affecting mankind.
The amazingly scandalous negations of justice, ,by giv-
ing comfort to those who boasted about the murder of
athletes, women and children and the hijacking and de-
-struction of planes belonging to several European nations,
brands the prejudiced with the most indictable marks of
brutality.
How does one judge such a mark of bestiality dis-
played in a world parliament?
Paul Hofmann, New York Times reporter at the UN,
describing the situation there prior to the outrageous vote
on Monday made these comments:
"Most of the seasonal visitors 'will concede privately
that the rhetoric in the aquarium-like General Assembly
hall on the East River doesn't really matter all that much.
"Listening to the speeches and tallying the votes, an
observer might conclude that a global coalition of Arab
and African states, Communist nations and scattered,
poor "third-world" countries was now dominating the
United Nations."
The indictment is clear and decisive. Inhumanity of
man to man has been given approval by parliamentarians.
The UN's action on Oct. 14 has turned back the clock of
human endeavor. The UN has dragged mankind into the
jungle.