THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, December 16, 1977 23

Charlie Biton: Former Delinquent,
Now Communist Knesset Member

BY UZI BENZIMAN

(Copyright 1977, JTA, INC.)

JERUSALEM—Among
the 50 new members elected
to the Knesset last May,
Charlie Biton is certainly
the most remarkable.
Biton, 28, who ran on the
Rakah ticket, the Moscow-
oriented Communist Party
which is now called "The
Democratic Front for Peace
and Equality," is probably
the first MK with a criminal
record. During his first
three months in the House
he has proven to be a non-
conformist in his methods
and mentality. Parlia-
mentary observers wonder
whether he intends, in time,
to adjust himself to the
Knesset's rules and norms,
or continue to be "awk-
ward" for years to come.
During the first session of
the Ninth Knesset, 'Charlie
Biton was involved in three
headline-catching "affairs."
In a dramatic appearance
on television news he exhib-
ited one copy of a matricu-
lation questionnaire, due to
be used in exams a few days
later, claiming that all the
examination papers were
being leaked by high rank-
ing officials of the Educa-
tion Ministry for payment.
Biton's allegations caused
the ministry to cancel all
the matriculation exams
and replace them with new
examinations which were
prepared urgently and at
considerable expense by
special _ teams.
.
Yet Biton's accusations
still have not been sub-
stantiated. Despite his
promises, he has failed to
deliver proof to the police of

his allegation that the mat-
riculation exams were sold
throughout the country. In
fact, following critical re-
marks expressed by mem-
bers of the Knesset Educa-
tion Committee, Biton
retracted his accusation
about the involvement of
Education Ministry officials
in the leakage.
One of the Knesset Interi-
or Committee meetings was
disturbed as a result of
Charlie Biton's encour-
agement of several women
demonstrators who were
complaining about alleged
mistreatment of inmates at
the Beersheba jail. At Bi-
ton's urging, the angry
women burst into the com-
mittee room and disrupted
its proceedings.
His role in this incident
was condemned by the
Knesset's House Com-
mittee, which deals with the
House regulations. But he
succeeded in attracting pub-
lic attention to the poor con-
ditions of prisoners in the
jail. The authorities nomi-
nated an investigatory com-
mittee which uncovered se-
vere maltreatment of
prisoners and several
guards were fined.
Biton participated in a
clandestine tape-recording
of conversations with MK
Thud Olmert of Likud which
took place in the Knesset
building. For the first time
in Knesset history a tape
recorder was smuggled into
the building to be used by
one of its members against
a colleague.
Biton's behavior was
again sharply criticized by
members of the House Com-

-

mittee and his "personal ad-
viser" — who made the
secret recording—was bar-
red from the building for
three months.
Biton was reared in Mus-
rara, the former Arab quar-
ter of Jerusalem, which bor-
dered on no-man's land
before 1967. His parents had
immigrated from Morocco
in 1949 when Charlie was a
baby.
Living in the Musrara
slum, he became involved in
a series of delinquencies
and he was sent to the Tel
Mond Reformatory for a
year. Because of his record
he was not inducted into the
army.
At the age of 20 he be-
came one of the leaders of
the Black Panther move-
ment which he and his Mus-
rara friends established.
The Black Panthers was a
political movement aimed
at drawing attention to the
poor conditions of the dis-
advantaged Oriental Jews
by means of demonstrations
and confrontations with the
police.
The movement succeeded
in attracting the attention of
public opinion and of the
government, though it num-
bered no more than 500
people. Over the years,
however, the Slack Pan-
thers split on ideological
and organizational lines and
sharp personal conflicts de-
veloped among the leaders.
Charlie Biton survived po-
litically. He joined the Ra-
kah ticket and was elected
to the new Knesset where
he has already managed to
focus attention on some of
the problems of the dis-
advantaged class.

Coffee Industry Asks U.S. to State
Policy on Boycott of Ugandan Beans

NEW YORK—Responding
to increased public demand
for a boycott of Ugandan
coffee as a protest to the
human rights violations of
Ugandan leader Idi Amin,
the board of directors of the
National Coffee Association
passed a resolution Nov. 29
calling on the U.S. govern-
ment "to formulate a policy
with respect to purchase of
Ugandan coffee."
The National. Coffee Asso-
- ciation, a representative
body of coffee roasters, im-
porters and allied in-
dustries, made the request
so as to "avoid any charges

Cut Funds to UN
Palestinian Body
AJCongress Asks

NEW YORK (JTA)—The
American Jewish Congress
called on Secretary of State
Cyrus Vance to withhold
U.S. financial support from
a new UN committee, voted
by the General Assembly, to
publicize and disseminate
information about "Palesti-
nian rights."

of anti-trust violation aris-
in the resolution.
ing out of any voluntary
The two Congressmen
concerted action in response
have proposed legislation
to such pressures."
which would establish a
George E. Boecklin, presi- commercial trade ban with
dent of the NCA, also sent a the Ugandan government.
letter to Congressmen Don-
Copies of the letter were
ald J. Pease (D-Ohio), and
also sent to Secretary of
Robert K. Dornan (R-Ca- State Cyrus Vance and Dep-
lif.), explaining the organi-
uty Secretary of State War-
zation's stand as articulated
ren Christopher.

Israel-Egypt Phones Restored

TEL AVIV (JTA)—The become a ghost town during
restoration of Tel Aviv- the years the canal was
Cairo telephone connections closed.
Golan reported that it is
on Dec. 7 brought joy to
many residents of Gaza who once more a bustling sea-
were able to call relatives in port and developing at a
Egypt directly and proved a rapid pace. She said she had
boon to the growing battal- no trouble reaching Port
ion of Israeli journalists Said. There were no check
anxious to file stories from posts along the way though
the Egyptian capital. the area was bristling with
People in Gaza seemed to military installations.
spend all day on the phone.
The Israeli correspondent
The cost was high. But as said she received a warm
one Arab academician said, welcome from the local pop-
nobody worries about mon- ulace. She was taken on a
ey if you can talk to your tour of the museum where
mother and father in Cairo.
Israeli weapons captured in
Maariv correspondent Ta-
the Yom Kippur War are on
mar Golan telephoned her
display. Her guides told her
impressions of Port Said,
that when weapons became
the Mediterranean gateway
museum pieces it is a sure
to the Suez Canal which had
sign of a desire for peace.

Nazi Guard, Mrs. Ryan, Jailed
for W. German Court Outburst

NEW YORK (JTA)—The
European affairs depart-
ment of the Anti-Defama-
tion League of Bnai Brith
reported that a German
court last week revoked bail
for Hermine Braunsteiner-
Ryan, the former Queens
housewife who is on trial
in Dusseldorf, West Ger-
many, and placed her in
jail. Mrs. Ryan and 13 oth-
ers are charged with mur-
dering inmates of the Maid-
enek concentration camp
during the Nazi years.
For the nearly two years
since the trial started, Mrs.
Ryan was out on bail and
living a comfortable, quiet
life, going into court only
twice a week.
Last week, following the
testimony of two Polish wit-
nesses, she interrupted the
proceedings by calling them
"pigs" and shouting other
phrases of abuse. Her bail
was cancelled because of
the outburst, the ADL said.
The five women and nine
men are accused of mass
shootings, fatal whippings,
gassing, hanging and ad-
ministering deadly in-
jections. More than 250,000
men, women and children
died at Maidenek from 1941-
44.
The trial is expected to
last at least 18 more
months. Some 135 of 200

witnesses have already tes-

tified.

Oh, that mine adversary
had written a book !—Job

FRANK PAUL

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December 15, 1977

PREVIEW - 7:00 pm
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Sadat May Visit
U.S. in February

Park West Galiaria5

WASHINGTON—Egyp-
tian President Anwar Sadat
may visit the U.S. in Febru-
ary to receive a document
signed by 150 members of
Congress proposing him for
the next Nobel Peace Prize
for his peace initiative in
visiting Israel, it was
learned here.

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