28 Friday, September 9, 1977 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Alleged Police Corrpution, Quick Investigation
Leads to Libel Charge, Public Outcry in Israel
Morrie & Eleanor Schwartz
and the staff of
MORRIE'S SUNOCO
Service Center
24848 Southfield Rd., Southfield
557-1747
557-9751
corner 10 mile
Wish All Their
Relatives, Friends
& Customers
A Happy, Health
NEW YEAR
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—
The special police com-
mittee appointed to in-
vestigate whether organized
crime exists in Israel said
it does not.
Meanwhile, Inspector Gen-
eral Haim Tavori, who
heads the police depart-
ment, revealed he has
asked Attorney General
Aharon Barak to study the
possibility of suing Haaretz
and its police reporter, Avi
Valentin, for libel for the ac-
cusation the newspaper has
printed against the police.
The police committee,
headed by Michael Buch-
ner, chief of the Police De-
partment's special oper-
ational unit. was appointed
following a public outcry
over the issue of organized
crime after a series of arti-
cles appeared in Haaretz
claiming there is a well-or-
ganized group which con-
trols all major crimes in Is-
rael. including drugs. pro-
stitution and the protection
racket.
Buchner's committee con-
cluded that there are no or-
ganized crime bosses oper-
ating in Israel similar to
the system believed exist-
ing in the crime syndicate'
in the United States. But
the committee said there
are regional bosses in Is-
rael.
Tavori and Interior Min-
ister Yosef Burg are study-
ing the report amid public
criticism over how the com-
mittee reached its con-
clusions in less than two
weeks.
Tavori revealed that he
asked the Attorney General
to look into libel charges
against Haaretz while testi-
fying before the Knesset In-
terior Committee.
He said the libel suit
would be based on a charge
by Valentin in Haaretz that
police officers have re-
vealed information to the
underworld and that there
is a "double agent" within
the department. Tavori said
that an investigation by
Moshe Tiomkin, command-
er of the Tel Aviv Police
District. found there was no
basis for Haaretz's accusa-
tions.
In his article, Valentin
wrote that Police Sgt. Maj.
Shlomo Vaknin, acting as
an undercover operative,
had been authorized to pre-
tend to accept an offer
from Yosef Harushka,
whom he was interrogating
on suspicion of extortion.
The latter allegedly of-
fered him IL 50,000 if he
would doctor the testimony
so that there would be no
basis for charges, and addi-
tional large sums if he
would cooperate in the fu-
ture.
Eight
senior
officers
knew about the arrange-
ment made with Vaknin, Va-
lentin wrote and gave their
names. A few days later it
became clear that one of
them had revealed the infor-
mation to the underwe'
that Vaknin was an unk
cover police agent. the Haa-
retz correspondent wrote.
Tavori told the Knesset
committee that Vaknin had
reported the offer to two of-
ficers, but they did not even
consider it worth referring
to their superiors, and Vak-
nin was told to reject the
offer. There was nothing
the eight senior officers
could have known, or re-
vealed to the underworld.
he said.
Commenting on Israel
television about the libel
suit, Gideon Samet, deputy
editor of Haaretz said that
the paper had additional tes-
timony and documents to
back up its reports on the
"double agent" affair.
Asked if Haaretz still
claims that there is a sen-
ior officer in the police who
is a double agent, Samet an-
swered that he does.
Israel Seeks U.S. Funding
Amounting to $2.3 Billion
"ZAIDE"
Limited Edition Porcelain Sculpture
by Edward J. Rohn
No more than 70 of this unique bust will ever be made ... with
only a few coming to Michigan, exclusively at Plaza Suite in
Southfield. Each is individually hand-crafted in high-fire proce-
lain with annealed china colors. 13" high including velvet and
walnut plinth. $1900. This once-in-a-lifetime "Collector's Item"
is now on display for your personal inspection.
Plaza Suite
2q1 -13 Northwestern Highway at -12 Mile
Southiield,,Michigan 48034
Phone J313) 357-1121
Hours 10-8 Mon. through Sat.
JERUSALEM—Israel is
preparing to ask the United
States for economic aid in
the amount of $2.3 billion
for the next fiscal year be-
ginning Oct. 1.
The formal request will
be made by Finance Min-
ister Simha Ehrlich when
he is in Washington next
week and simultaneously
by Deputy Finance Minister
Yehezkel Flomin at a meet-
ing in Jerusalem with U.S.
Ambassador Samuel Lewis.
The aid package Israel
will request consists of $1.5
billion in military security
assistance and $800 million
for civilian purposes.
The request includes a de-
tailed breakdown of Israel's
economic needs for the corn-
ing year and reviews the
government's efforts to nar-
row its balance of pay-
ments deficit. The latter
was improved by $800 mil-
lion this year, but next
year's improvement is proj-
ected at only $200 million
due to changing circum-
stances.
Israel also will ask that
$300 million of the civilian
aid package be given it in
cash rather than credits for
purchases in the U.S. The
reason given is that it is dif-
ficult to supply the neces-
sary documents for pur-
chases in the U.S.
During the current fiscal
year Israel received $1.8 bil-
lion in U.S. aid. $500 million
less than it had requested.
The new request for aid
states that Israel finds it dif-
ficult to balance its budget.
partly because of the cut in
American aid, and, there-
fore, must receive the full
$2.3 billion asked for.
Ehrlich will be joined in
Washington next week by
Amiram Sivan, director gen-
eral of the finance min-
istry; Dan Halperin, deputy
director general; and Eph-
raim Dovrat, economic ad-
viser. They will attend the
International Monetary
Fund convention and will
meet with Jewish investors.
Concordat Revision
ROME ZINS)—Last year
the Italian Jewish commu-
nity presented several ideas
to the Italian government
regarding revision of the
"Concordat" negotiated by
Benito Mussolini and the
Vatican in 1929.
The Jewish community
asked for the abolition
state religion and the tee
ing of Catholic doctrine lit
public schools.
WZO Change?
JERUSALEM (ZINS)—
For the first time in 42
years. Labor faces the possi-
bility of losing its lead-
ership of the World Zionist
Organization and the Jew-
ish Agency.
Leon Dulzin. president of
the World Union of General
Zionists and treasurer of
the Jewish Agency. is ex-
pected to be elected leader
of the Zionist movement at
the World Zionist Congress
in Jerusalem in February.