6 irijksy, January 21, 1977 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Israel Refutes French Explanation Point-By-Point (Continued from Page 1) week which expressed. "dismay" at France's de- cision to disregard West German and Israeli de- tention for extradition requests. French President Val- STEVE PETIX formal wear for all occasions RENTAL & SALES DETROIT 862-4517 TROY 524-1166 BIRMINGHAM 645-5560 ery Giscard d'Es- taing said Monday that "France has no lessons to receive from anyone" and charged that the interna- tional protests were part "of a world-wide orches- trated campaign of in- sults and calumnies against France." The president, who used harsh and strong state- ments, said "France's foreign policy is not laid down in the news rooms of international news media but is worked out by the president, the prime minister and the govern- ment." Giscard d'Estaing kept the Abu Daoud issue to the end of his press con- ference and then devoted only 15 minutes to it. He stressed: "France has been the object of a worldwide campaign of insults and vilification which hit at France's honor and dignity." He added, "The amplitude of SPITZERS of Harvard Row Yes, We Do Have Rummikub and Rummikid Games From Israel at Discount Prices Hebrew Book & Gift Center Mile & Lahser, Southfield SPITZER'S.. Harvard Row 356-6080 Open All Day Sunday the slander campaign just do not seem to accept that France has an inde- pendent policy." The only explanation he gave for France's deci- sion was addressed "to the families of the 11 Is- raeli victims of the Munich massacre." Even to them, he did not offer sympathy or even a mes- sage of condolences but gave a 10-word legal ex- planation of why France had turned down the Is- raeli extradition request. The president, who seemed to hint at a Jewish campaign against France in his statement, went on to remind the Munich vic- tims' families that "they should respect French laws which know no am- biguities whatever the reactions they might give rise to." He underlined that these families should rely on French laws espe- cially as they had known in "other times and in other places an unjust, arbitrary and state imposed jus- tice." Giscard d'Estaing blamed West Germany for Daoud's release say- ing that the chief of the French Foreign Minis- try's cabinet asked last Monday afternoon that the West German Charge d'Affaires speed up the diplomatic request for his extradition. He said that when no request was re- ceived on Tuesday, the Palestinian was released. The French president went on to recall that Daoud was only charged with having instigated the Munich massacre and noted that the three sur- WITH SOME CAR DEALERS, COURTESY IS OPTIONAL. At Glassman Olds, it's standard equipment. It has to be. Or there wouldn't be a Glassman Olds. No, you won't stroll down red carpets and be crowned with laurel wreaths. But you will be dealing with people who care about people and not just cars. Simply put, we want your business. But we also want your good will. And the way we see it, the first follows from the second. WHERE PEOPLE STILL COME FIRST viving Palestinians who carried out the attack were freed by West Ger- many six weeks after the actual killing. "Where are they now?" Giscard d'Es- taing asked. He tried to impress on his listeners France's "even-handed" attitude by saying that during the Entebbe affair France re- fused to accept any dis- crimination between French and Israelis aboard the_plane. He claimed France had always adopted a strong- arm approach to terrorism and quoted in evidence the fact that the Croatian ter- rorists who hijacked a TWA plane were arrested and handed over to the American police. The French president's statement took by sur- prise French officials, foreign diplomats and Is- raeli circles. They all thought Giscard d'Es- taing would use his press conference to try and pla- cate Israeli anger. But, apparently, smarting personally from the in- ternational criticism of France, he lashed out at Israel and world opinion. Israeli Foreign Minister Yigal AllOn said that rela- tions between Israel and France were in a "state of crisis." But at a meeting with the families of the 11 Israeli athletes murdered at the 1972 Munich Olym- pics — an act for which Daoud is believed to have been responsible — Allon rejected demands that French Ambassador Jean Herly be declared per- sonal non grata and re- moved from Israel. Allon is expected to meet with French For- eign Minister Louis de Guiringaud in Brussels next month when Israel is scheduled to sign its agreement with the European Economic Community. However, De Guirin- guad and two other French cabinet members are expected to postpone their scheduled visits to Israel next month be- cause of the crisis ire rela- tions between the two countries. Meanwhile, observers in Israel said they believe Israeli Ambassador Mor- dechai Gazit will return to Paris next week. Acting at the request of Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Sparkman (D-Ala.), the U.S. Senate agreed unanimously Tuesday to delay action on the com- mittee's resolution critical of the French. Sen. Jacob K. Javits (R-NY), who supported Sparkman's request for delay, said "I have little doubt a resolution will be passed this week by the Senate." Sparkman's request apparently was based on his desire to have the committee examine materials on the case re- ceived from the American Embassy in Paris. Franc-II Ambassador Kosciusko- Morizet was reported to have asked the Senate leaders not to adopt the resolution, or to soften it. The envoy's action raised eyebrows at the Capitol since the French gov- ernment had complained that the U.S. was inter- vening in French internal affairs by expressing dismay at the release of Daoud. The French Embassy said the ambassador met Tuesday with nine House members and had written Sparkman and other Senators protesting Con- gressional action against France. The French spokesman noted that in the worst times of Franco-American relations the French as- sembly had never con- demned or intervened in the process of U.S. ac- tivities, including those in VietnaTn. The envoy also was reported by the spokesman as having said that Israel had no right to gain extradition of the ter- rorist and Germany had deprived itself of the right by its delay in requesting it. The French spokesman said that the Con- gressmen with whom the ambassador met included Reps. Roby Moffett (D- Conn.); Theodore Weiss (D-NY); Millicent Fen- wick (R-NJ), and John Buchanan (R-Ala.). The Senate Foreign Re- lations Committee last Thursday adopted a sense of the Senate resol- ution sponsored by Sens. Clifford Case (R-NJ) and Hubert H. Humphrey (D-Minn.). It said that the release of Abu Daoud is "harmful to the efforts of the community of nations to stamp out interna- tional terrorism and urged the U.S. govern- ment to introduce and support a resolution in the UN General Assem- bly to that effect. U.S. Senator Robert Griffin (R-Mich.) deli- vered a speech in the Senate on Friday deplor- ing Daoud's release. He mentioned France's de- pendence on Arab oil and the sale of 200 Mirage jets to Egypt. "I know not the extent to which economic and political considerations may have entered into the French decision," Griffin said. "But one thing is clear: the battle against terrorism around the world has been dealt a staggering blow." Griffin was one of 29 senators who signed a let- ter of protest that was sent to the French ambassador. Sen. Charles Percy (R-I11.) sent his own letter to the ambassador. In Washington, Rabbi Alexander M. Schindler, chairman of the Confer- ence of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, told the French Ambassador to the United States that "thousands of members" of the Conference's 32 constituent organiza- tions were urging a ban on travel to France and a boycott of French prod- ucts in the U.S. to pro- test France's release Palestinian terrorist Daoud. Schindler headed a Presidents Conference delegation which met with Ambassador Jac- ques Kosciusko-Morizet for 90 minutes at the French Embassy Friday to express the "shock and outrage of the American Jewish community" over the freeing of Daoud. He said he informed the ambassador that each of the Conference's con- stituent organizations is autonomous and inde- pendent and will respond to demands for action against France "in its own fashion." Schindler added, "What- ever the response, there can be no doubt of the re- vulsion that American Jews — and men and women of good will of every race, religion and ethnic origin — feel at the ignoble act that France has committed in defiance of its own treaty obliga- tions, in disregard of its professed adherence to the international cam- paign against terrorism and in contempt for life and for law that hasebeen the hallmark of French civilization." Schindler said the Con- ference of Presidents re- jected the "legalisms" advanced by French au- thorities to explain the release of Daoud. He said their action was a "breach of the extradi- tion treaty with Israel and of its commitment to act with vigor against the terrorist movement." Major American Jewish organizations re- sponded angrily to the French court's decision to release Daoud. A statement released by Hadassah said: "Ter- rorism and blackmail has once more triumphed over the rule of law with the release . . . While na- tions of differing political ideologies are collaborat-_\ ing at this very time pass a United Natio_ convention denouncing terrorism, a major power of the free world has un- dermined morality by succumbing to blackmail . . . The political subver- sion of justice by France (Continued on Page 12) JEWISH NTIOWIL FUND 3 22100 Greenfield Rd. Oak Park, Mich. 48237 968-0820 Z OFFICE HOURS MON -THURS 9 TO 5 FRI 9 TO 4 SUNDAYS 10 am -1 pm r