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.