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February 24, 1978 - Image 54

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 1978-02-24

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

1

14 PrFriday, , Fehnory 24011

-7 Ai DETSOILAWISH NEWS

Organized Crime Rife in Israel, Police Laxity, Weak Laws Blamed

JERUSALEM (JTA) A
special committee submit-
ted a report to the Cabinet
stating that organized
crime exists in Israel and
flourishes because of police
laxity, weak lawn and close
connections by top crime fi-
gures on all elvels of gov-
ernment.
The committee, headed
by former. State Attorney
Erwin Shimron, recom-
mended tough counter-
measures including a re-
vamping of the criminal
code, improved police pro-
cedures and cancellation of
the general amnesty for
criminals that was planned
in connection with Israel's
30th anniversary celebra-
tions this spring.
Responding to the harsh
criticism of the polide,
Police Inspector General
Haim Tabori convened his

top officers to discuss the
situation. He said, however,
that he would not resign be-
cause the report made clear
that the present state of af-
fairs was not new, but the
cumulative result of crimi-
nal activity since the state
was established.
Shimron himself said at
a press conference that
the state had negledted
the fight against crime
for 30 years. The Cabinet
did not discuss the report
at its weekly session but
decided to devote a spe-
cial session to it at a later
date. Interior Minister
Yosef Burg promised that
the government would
implement the commit-
tee's recommendations
"to a maximum extent in
a minimum time."
Crimes of violence have
increased steadily over the

years as have crimes involv-
ing black marketeering,
fraud, blackmain and in-
timidation.

The news media kept up a
steady drumbeat of pres-
sure on the authorities,
supported recently by Likud
MK Ehud Olmert who has
launched a personal
crusade against crime.

The Shimron committee
rejected police complaints
that their limited budget
prevented them from coping
adequately with crime.

-The committee also
faulted the income tax
authorities for failing to
prevent the rapid growth
of "black capital" which
it estimated at billions of
pounds circulating out-
side of , the regular
economic framework

and funding organized a suspect confessed a crime
crime.
to police only to plead not
guilty in court.
To cope with the alarming
It recommended that de-
rise in crime, the Shimron
committee recommended an fendants found guilty of
abridgement of the civil drug or sex offenses, crimes
rights of persons accussed of of violence or grand theft
serious crimes such as traf- should not be entitled to a
ficking in drugs, blackmail reduction of sentences for
and intimidation of witnes- good behavior if they are
ses. It proposed that witnes- second or third 'offenders.
ses be forced to give tes- After a third conviction' for
timony even if self- the same crime, the offender
incriminating. Under pre- should be given double the
sent law, such witnesses maximum penalty under
have the right to remain si- law, the committee prop-
osed.
lent.

The committee also re-
commended that recorded
confessions made before a
police officer should be ad-
mitted as evidence in court
without requiring the de-
fendant to appear in person.
It cited many cases in which

Had the Nazis appeared at
some other time, the ap-
pearance may very well
have been debatable but
certainly not outrageous.
"The fact that the deci-
sion to air the "It's .Your
Turn" was your own, and
subsequently the deci-
sion to cancel was also
your own, and finally the
approval of the Nazis'
appeaiance on the Ron
Scott show at that time,
was also your own, im-
plies an action whose mo-
tives are currently being
challanged and ques-
tioned in the community
at large.
"Further, we both know
that the decisions you
reached were. made over
strongly voiced opposition
on the part of a number of
Ch. 56 staff members whose
views even 'in-house' were
not taken into considera-
tion.
"I do not write this to
further critique the Ron
Scott show, but I also cannot
let your support of the Ron
Scott show go unnoticed.
You did not mention that
you permitted an authorita-
tive off-camera voice of a
Nazi to dominate the show.
"You did not mention that

* * *

even while Mr. Mullins
identified himself as a Nazi,
Ch. 56 chose to identify him
only as a "free lance repor-
ter familiar with the Right
wing." You did not mention
the extreme .effectiveness of
his being permitted to re-
main off camera and es-
pouse not only Nazi views
but to ridicule and discredit
those representing the' op-
posite position to the Nazis.

The diamond trade ob-
jected furiously to allega-
tions that much of its trans-
actions are illicit. The sea-
men's union acknowledged,
that smuggling was wide-
spread and pledged coopera-
tion with the authorities to
end it.

,

••

But Moshe Shnitzer,
president of the Diamond
Exchange, threatened to
sue the committee me
berb for libel unless
withdraw their cha
The committee also re- that black market money
ported that 70 percent of controlled by criminal
the criminals released elements runs much of
under the general am- the diamond business. He
nesty granted after the called the accusation un-
Six-Day War were re- founded and convened
turned to jail for other an emergency meeting of
crimes.
the exchange members to
consider counter-
measures.

Channel 56 Deemed Nazis a 'Legitimate' Organization

The Anti-Defamation tion' and the Nazis met that
League of Bnai Brith re- criteria. I asked you if you
leased a letter this week, would give air time to the
summarlizing a conversa- Ku Klux Klan and you said
tion executive director `No, they're not legitimate.'
Richard Lobenthal had with
"I then asked you point
Channel 56 station man- blank 'Does that mean you
ager James Christianson consider the Nazis a legiti-
over the Nazi interview mate organization?' and you
broadcast in January by the - answered 'Yes.'
station.
"You stated that the
Lobenthal says the ADL Nazis were entitled to air
is still demanding an appol- time because they had a
ogy from Ch. 56 and dis- membership of more than
closed new information 25, they were non-profit,
about the incident.
and they did not advocate
He said that Christian- violence. I asked you in
son told him in January, what way they differed from
before the Nazi-interview the Klan and you stated
was aired, that the Nazis that 'the Klan has a secret
were a "legitimate" 'or- membership.' I asked if you
ganization by the Christ- had seen the Nazi member-
ianson's criteria.
ship list and you said no.
Recalling their conversa-
"I asked you if you had
tion, Lobenthal stated, any evidence that 'the
"You stated that the prog- Nazis were registered as
ram would be aired because a non-profit corporation
the program was available in the state of Michigan
to 'any legitimate organiza- and otherwise entitled to
do business in the area,
Folklore- Sought and you said that you had
Satellite Beach, Fla. -- no idea.
"I asked you specifically,
Rabbi David Max Eichorn is
preparing a bOok, "Ameri- were you aware of the fact
can Jewish Folklore: A that the Nazis did advocate
Chronological Regional An- violence, and yoU said 'Yes,
thology," for publication in but they don't do it on this
program.' I asked if you had
1979. -
The rabbi is seeking con- `counselled them to clean up
tributions of unpublished their act so that they would
material about individuals, be more palatable to the
families, congregations, or- public' and you said
ganizations, or com- `,Exactly.' "
munities, past and present.
"The issue that the com-
Material should be sent
by Nov. 1 to Rabbi Eichorn, munity has raised and
Box 2629, Satellite Beach, which has not yet been
satisfactorily determined, is
Fla. 32937.
the duplicity inherent in the
public retraction of the
`Technicalities'
to provide the air time
Postponed Pact plans
to the Nazis at 11 p.m. Jan
RIO DE JANEIRO (JTA) 12, and then show one-half
— The signing of a twin- hour of air time featuring
cities pact between Rio de the Nazis at 10:30 p.m. The
Janeiro and Tel Aviv was effect of that decision was
postponed for "technical dif- clearly to state to the or-
ficulties" and is sure to take ganizations who had ex-
place later this year, Brazi- pressed concern, that if you
had to cancel one program,
lian officials said.
you would 'get around it' by
another program
New CJF Office _ _ showing.
on the same night, at almost
NEW YORK — The the same time.
Council of Jewish Federa-
"The community is well
tions is establishing a per- Aware of the four part
manent western states reg- analysis of the Nazis which
ional office in Denver.
Mr. Ron Scott was doing.

The report drew mixed
reactions.

"If Mr. Mullins .re-
quired his anonymity as a
condition of appearing,
one wonders why Ch. 56
acceeded to that."
In a letter to The Jewish
News Lobenthal also
pointed out that it was the
second time that Nazi
bookstore operator Bill
Russell had been on Ron
Scott's show, having first
appeared on Dee. 22.

Farmers in general, were
happy with the committee's
report. They claimed that
thefts of agricultural pro-
ducts cost them IL 110 mill-
ion annually. The commit-
tee recommended that the
control, inspection and
transportation of agricul-
tural produce be integrated
under a single authority
which gives the farmers
reason to hope that thefts
can be cut down. .

Roy Atherton's Shuttle Diplomacy Mission
Facing Tough, Up-Hill Fight in Middle' East

Woman Stabbed
at Nazi Protest

JERUSALEM (JTA) —
U.S. Assistant Secretary of
State Alfred L. Atherton
met for two hours Tuesday
with Israel Foreign Minis-
ter Moshe Dayan and later
with Premier Menahem
Begin.
.Atherton said the subject
of a declaration of principles
to which Israel and Egypt
can agree was discussed but
would not elaiorate.
"I think it is probably not
useful for me, after each of
these discussions, to say
precisely where we are and
who is saying what to
whom," he told reporters.
Dayan concurred, saying
"just give us a chance to
work a while." Atherton
and Dayan reportedly fo-
cused on the "Palestinian
clause" of a possible decla-
ration.

A woman was stabbed in
the leg last weekend during
a Detroit meeting planning
strategy to protest the Nazi
bookstore on W. Vernor
Hwy.
The woman, 25-year-old
Janice Friedman, was hurt
during a scuffle after four
men at the meeting were
asked to leave. A witness
told police he thought the
men were Nazis, but the
police could not confirm the
report.
The meeting was spon-
sored by the "Labor - Corn-
munity Council Against
Nazis," which established a
speakers bureau to provide
anti-Nazi speakers. The or-
ganization is 'sponsored by
labor, church and
neighborhood groups.

Atherton is expected to
fly to Cairo for further
discussions with Egyp-
tian leaders and return to
Israel before the
weekend. He will visit
Jordan, Saudi Arabia
and Syria next week.
In a related development,
Secretary of State Cyfus
Vance and Israeli Foreign
Minister Moshe Dayan ex-
changed cordial remarks
and reaffirmed the tradi-
tional U.S.-Israeli friend-
ship after a two-hour work-
ing lunch at the State De-
partment last week. But
Dayan indicated that the
probiems,which have arisen
to give U.S-Israeli rela-
tions a strained atmosphere
remain unresolved.

Asked if the Carter Ad-
ministration's proposed sale
of combat aircraft to Egypt,
Saudi Arabia and Israel has
changed anything in the
American-Israeli relation-
ship, Dayan said that the
proposed sales ."and other
things are of much concern
to us but that does not mean
we don't want to go ahead"
with the peace negotiations
with the U.S. as "mediator
between Israel and the Arab
countries."
Dayan said that Israel is
ready to agree to a declara-
tion of principles with
Egypt in general terms but
that preconditions' such as
full withdrawal and a
Palestinian state "are nega-
tive" and Israel will not
agree to them.
Meanwhile, political
circles in Jerusalem are
less than optimistic that
Atherton will score a
quick or easy break-
through in his efforts to
secure Israeli and Egyp-
tian agreement on a joint
declaration of principles.
In Washington, President
Carter said he believes that
• an -Israeli agreement 'to a
statement of principles that
he has outlined is essential
before Egypt will sign a
"separate agreement" with
Israel and King Hussein of
Jordan will enter negotia-
tions for a settlement.
He also said it was "very
discouraging and frustrat-
ing" to be the "messenger
boy between a group of
leaders in the Middle East
who won't eve n speak to
each other."

_

In Jerusalem, Shimon
Peres, leader of the Labor
Alignment, pre-diced that
Israel and Egypt will even-
tually reach an accord de-
spite the wide differences
between them, but it will be
an interim agreement
rather than an overall set-
tlement.
Meanwhile, President
Carter asserted that on
the occasion of Israel's
forthcoming 30th an-
niversary, he joins "in
fervent prayer that the
combined effort of all
those who seek ajust and
lasting resolution to the
conflict in the war torn
Middle East will be re-
warded and that Israel
will begin a new decade
in an atmosphere of
peace tranquility and
goodwill."
In New York, Chaim Her-
zog, Israel's Ambassador to
the United Nations, told an
assemblage of NortheK"s-
rael Bond leaders aW■T
Headquarters that Israel is -
now being faced with a
major public relations of-
fensive by Egypt focused on
the United States and U.S.
Jewry "in a blatant attempt
to achieve negotiations by
ultimatum."
Herzog said that the
Sadat media campaign was
aimed at forcing the United
States to become directly
involved and to bring pres-
sure on Israel for one-sided
concessions, instead of con-
ducting "free and open
negotiations without prior
conditions," as. Israel advo-
cates.

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