HE JEWISH NEWS
Chronicled
Irgun History
Throws Light
on Likud's
Rise to Power
A Weekly Review
Commentary, Page 2
VOL. LXXI, No. 18
f Jewish Events
17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 424-8833
State Department
Pressures
and Jerusalem's
Endangered
Jewish Role
Editorials, Page 4
$10.00 Per Year; This Issue 30 0
July 8, 1977
Ecuador Renews Quest for Kfir;
U.S. Naval Base Report Denied
Arab Prisoners' Torture Stories
Protect Confessors from Revenge
LONDON (JTA)—Former Arab prisoners who say they were tortured during inter-
rogation by Israeli police do so because they fear revenge by other Arabs whom they
have implicated in terrorist activities. But their claims of confessing because of torture
are without foundation.
This is stated in a lengthy reply by the Israel embassy to an article in the London
Sunday Times two weeks ago accusing Israeli security organs of systematically using
torture to extract confessions from suspected terrorists. The statement follows inquiries
in Israel into the cases mentioned in the original Sunday Times article. It deal.s -with six
cases point by point, claiming that in no case is the alle-
gation of torture justified.
Keren Hayesod
"In many of the cases. - the embassy report said,
Study Mission
"the persons referred to had good reason for claiming
that statements they made were made under torture,
Due in Israel
for in these statements they implicated others in the
various acts of terror committed. There have been a
number of cases of Arab prisoners being brutally mur-
dered by their fellow prisoners on suspicion that they
had cooperated with the authorities. Once claiming tor-
ture, they perhaps feel that they can no longer be ac-
cused by their colleagues of betrayal."
The statement continues: "Israel police and security
have every reason to refrain from use of force. Such
use of force is a serious criminal offense, and where
cases of police brutality have been found in the past, po-
lice officers have been prosecuted, and it is Israel's pol-
icy to do so in the future."
The embassy points out that Felicia Langer and Lea
Tsemel, the two Jewish lawyers frequently quoted in
the original Sunday Times article, "make a practice of
claiming that every client of theirs who makes a state-
-ment to the police does so under pressure." However,
whenever the police opened inquiries into the allega-
YACHDAV 77 rmi
tions and requested people to provide statements or to
A MIS$1ON OF UNITY
submit evidence "the two lawyers simply fail to reply."
Yachdav (Togetherness)
Defending Israel's general - record on human rights,
77, the World Young Lead-
the embassy noted that Israel has an independent judi-
ership Mission of Keren
ciary and a judicial system "which even •Israel's
Hayesod — United Israel
avowed enemies admit is both fair and of extremely
Appeal, will be held in Is-
high
caliber." Israel is also the only Middle East coun-
rael July 20-31. The mis-
try that does not carry out the death penalty. "Torture
sion will be the largest
or use of force, in addition to being crimes, are also of-
ever conducted by Keren
fenses against the police and military codes," the em-
Hayesod, which has 51
bassy asserted.
young leadership groups
in 25 countries, with 1,200
Moreover, Israeli courts -refuse to consider any state-
members.
'
(Continued on Page 8)
-
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Israel has re-submitted its request for U.S. per-
mission to sell 24 Kfir fighter-bombers to Ecuador and the State Department
is currently reconsidering the sale which it had vetoed last year, it was
learned WedneSday. According to Congressional sources, the U.S. suggested
that Israel re-submit its request after appeals from Ecuadorian officials who
urgently want the Israel-made jet combat plane.
(State Department spokesman Hodding Carter III said Wednesday afternoon
that the department's position opposed to the sale of the Israeli Kfir to Ecua-
dor remains unchanged.)
Ecuador's need for the Kfir was reportedly conveyed to President Carter by
Mrs. Rosalynn Carter on her return from a Latin American tour last month
during which she visited Quito. Mary F. Hoyt, the first lady's press secretary,
insisted that Mrs. Carter did not intercede with the President for the sale but
was simply "a- channel of communication" to him. _ _ _
Ecuadorian officials reportedly told Mrs. Carter that they needed the Kfirs
because the Soviet Union has delivered advanced Sukohoi-20 fighters to Peru,
Ecuador's neighbor on the south. The two countries have been engaged in terri-
torial disputes for generations which sometimes involved armed clashes.
The Kfir, the first fighter plane of Israeli design and manufacture, is consid-
ered one of the best of its class in the world and probably the least expensive.
The U.S. refused to allow its sale to Ecuador, however, on the grounds that
Amertican policy barred the introduction of sophisticated weaponry into Latin
America. U.S. permission was needed because the Kfir is powered by an Amer-
ican-made engine.
--
According to the July 11 issue of Newsweek magazine, Ecuador has offered
to support Jimmy Carter's human-rights initiative—but only if he'll ease his
stance on international arms sales. Ecuador officials want to buy either the
U.S. F-5 fighter or the A-10 close-support bomber as a substitute for their ear-
lier planned purchase of Israeli Kfir jet fighters.
Military sources believe that Ecuador would still prefer the Kfir if the U.S.
will approve the sale because of the plane's low cost and high performance.
Meanwhile, press reports that the U.S. was considering setting up a naval or
air base in Israel were denied Tuesday by White House Press Secretary Jody
Powell. "There is no truth to that report, ' he said. "We are not considering
asking for any naval base or any other kind of military base in Israel." Ear-
lier in the day the state department also rejected the reports as "sheer specula-
tion."
The 'press reports, which had been circulating for weeks and surfaced again
over the weekend, had noted that the Carter Administration was considering
establishing a base as one of a number of moves to reassure Israel of Ameri-
can commitment to the Jewish state. Israeli circles pointed out, however, that
Israel's long-standing policy is not to have foreign military forces on its soil.
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency's Washington correspondent, Joseph Polla-
koff, said, however, that the fact that the report was floated by United States
sources to important American media indicated that the Carter Administration
is prepared to offer a base, provide sophisticated arms and allocate continued
economic assistance to Israel, but will continue to insist on Israel's withdrawal
from the administered territories.
Welfare Federation Allocates $10 Million for Overseas
k
ore than $10 million from the 1977 Allied
Jewish Campaign-Israel Emergency Fund
was allocated for use overseas by the Jew-
ish Welfare Federation Board of Governors
at its meeting last week.
Leading the grants was $4,998,500 to the
United Jewish Appeal from the "regular"
Allied Jewish Campaign. Additional monies
in the Israel Emergency Fund are expected
to bring the total overseas allocation to
$10.175.000. Israel Emergency Fund and
UJA allocations are used to support human-
itarian and social service programs and
agencies in Israel. Also in this category are
HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society ). the
America-Israel Cultural Foundation and the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
More than $5 million from the 1977 Cam-
paign was allocated to 14 national agencies,
14 local agencies, three local .Jewish day
schools. Hillel Foundations on three Mich-
igan campuses. central services (including
Federation's administrative costs) and capi-
tal needs.
The agencies funded according to recom-
mendations by the Federation's culture and
education division will receive $2,072,350
this year, an increase of $119,050, or an aver-
age of 6 percent, over last year.
The largest grants were to the United
Hebrew Schools-Midrasha and the Jewish
Community Center. The latter's $850.000
deficit sum will be held in reserve temporar-
ily until the Center presents its budget for
calendar year 1971.
Agencies whose allocations were recom-
mended by the Federation community serv-
ices division will receive $1.629.526, an in-
crease of 9.8 percent over last year.
The allocation for the Jewish Vocational
Service-Commtinity Workshop
includes
$20.000 earmarked for expansion of the
agency's Oakland County _ operations
through the establishment of a 50-seat satel-
lite workshop to begin in January. 1978.
Allocations to national agencies total
$437,000, an increase of about 5 percent. The
funds are channeled to the national head-
quarters of each group, and then may be
budgeted for local chapters or operations.
The report submitted by tie national
agencies division explained why the Joint
Cultural Appeal received the largest in-
crease in its category. "The Joint Cultural
Appeal is made up of nine small cultural
and educational agencies, which are the
keepers of our Jewish heritage," the report
said "They are old agencies, and if they
are to keep going and attract younger work-
ers, they are going to need more money.
And we think these agencies are worth con-
tinuing."
Allied Jewish Campaign-Israel Emergen-
cy Fund beneficiaries are assigned by cate-
gory to report to one of the three divi-
sions—culture and education, community
services, and national agencies—when they
make their annual requests for funds.
Tillie Brandwine heads the cultural and
education division, assisted by associate
chairman Stanley D. Frankel and Norman
D. Katz. The community services division is
chaired by Dr. Conrad L. Giles. with associ-
ate chairmen Byron B. Gerson and Mark L.
Kahn. Avern L. Cohn chairs the national
agencies division. His associate is Joel D.
Tauber.
A fourth group, the capital needs com-
mittee headed by David Handleman and his
(Continued on Page 5)