6 Friday, February 16, 1919
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Knesset Repudiates West Bank Torture Charges
(Continued from Page 1)
He noted that under an
agreement with the Inter-
national
Committee of the
_ .
Caricatures
Inspections by
Red Cross Noted
Tamir said the ICRC on
one occasion sent a physi-
cian to check complaints of
physical torture but the
physician could not find a
- single case. The talk of tor-
ture in Israeli prisons does a
great injustice to Israel,
Tamir said.
"There is no second to Is-
rael in the scope of
and
humanitarianism
exercised
liberalism
for your party
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meet with persons impris-
oned for security offenses
without the presence of Is-
raeli officials.
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towards its enemies," the
justice minister stated. He
also said that a "state in-
stitution" was investigating
the activities of the Ameri-
can Consulate in East
Jerusalem where the alle-
gations quoted in the Wash-
ington Post originated.
Michael Shiloh, a
spokesman for the
Foreign Ministry, said
Monday that Israel stood
ready, as in the past, to
give "any respectable
newspaper" relevant and
specific information that
could contradict allega-
tions such as were pub-
lished in the Post. He said
the Israeli Embassy in
Washington offered to
furnish the Post with
specific responses to
each allegation but the
paper "rejected our pro-
posal, to our regret."
He said the Embassy also
suggested that the Post
postpone publication of the
story until it carried out an
on-the-spot investigation of
its own but the story was
published nonetheless.
U.S. Jewish groups
criticized the Post for the
story and the Jewish Com-
munity Council of Greater
Washington said the allega-
tions of torture from Pales-
tinians convicted of ter-
rorism were "self-serving
statements" by persons
wishing to explain away
their criminal behavior.
State Dept. Hits
Post Editorial
An editorial statement in
the Washington Post Feb. 8
SHMUEL TAMIR
that said the State Depart-
ment had suggested Israel
"systematically" tortures
prisoners, was denounced
by the State Department. .
The Post asked rhetori-
cally, "Does Israel sys-
tematically torture Arab
prisoners?" and added, "The
State Department in its new
human rights report
suggests the answer is
`yes'."
Assistant Secretary of
State for Human Rights
Patricia Derian telephoned
the Post's editor to lodge an
official complaint against
the editorial. Later, the De-
partment's chief spokes-
man, Hodding Carter, said
the Washington Post's
statement was "inaccurate"
and "wrong."
He emphasized that the
State Department report
"does not suggest" sys-
tematic torture of pris-
oners by Israel and that
"fair minded people" will
take all the evidence into
consideration concern-
ing Israel's activities on
the West Bank and Gaza
Strip."
The State Department is
considered by Congres-
sional sources as presenting
a "much better, much more
balanced" assessment of Is-
rael's treatment of Arab
prisoners on the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip than
"premature" media re-
counts published earlier.
The sources also observed
that the 706-page volume
dealing only with those
countries receiving U.S.
economic assistance or pro-
posed as recipients of secu-
rity aid put "a rosy face" on
many countries with which
the United States has major
economic ties, particularly
oil-producing Arab states.
With Israel's practices
concerning prisoners oc-
cupying wide media at-
tention, to the complete
exclusion of the 114 other
countries in the report,
Congressional sources
noted that the same situa-
tion prevailed last year
when Israel's situation
underwent intensive
media scrutiny before the
official documentation
was made public.
"These leaks definitely
come from the State De-
partment," one source said.
Meanwhile, Carter Ad-
ministration officials have .
rejected the demand by the
self-styled "Arab Human
Rights Campaign" group to
President Carter for a U.S.
commission of inquiry to go
to Israel and investigate
Arab allegations of "mis-
treatment" reported in sec-
tions of the media. These of-
ficials said that they do not
think a commission is
necessary.
"The State Department's
report made it very clear
that this — the allegations
— is something certainly
not condoned by the Israeli
government and the re-
ported incidents are not a
matter of Israeli policy."
Arab Group's
Allegations
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The institute, in a special
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The Arab group held 4a
press conference last Friday
at the National Press Club
where they introduced two
men who alleged they had
been tortured during their
imprisonment. The group,
which was given space at
the Club under the sponsor-
ship of Mohammed Hakki,
the Egyptian Embassy
Minister Counsellor for
Press and Information, dis-
tributed a press kit which
showed that the call for a
Commission of Inquiry was
endorsed by, among others,
I.F: Stone, James Abourezk,
Prof. Richard Falk, Rev.
Ralph Abernathy, Noam
Chomsky and Dr. James
Zogby who was chairman of
the press conference.
Another statement in the
press kit named, among
others, Daniel Berrigan,
Henry Schwartzchild,
Chomsky, Falk and
Abourezk as the sponsors of
the Campaign and that it
has "21 regional working
groups throughout the
United States."
report, said that 84,403 chairman of the House introduce a companion
cases have been investi- Judiciary subcommittee on measure in the Senate.
In Israel, President Yit-
gated by the West German immigration, citizenship
authorities until the end of and international law, in- zhak Navon called on Jews
1977. Of these, 74,623 cases troduced a resolution cal- around the world to pres-
have been closed and have ling on the government of sure the West German gov-
not resulted in any prosecu- West .Germany to modify its ernment on the statute of
limitations issue. He pro-
tions and 172 cases are still statute of limitations.
Her resolution was co- posed that all Jews wear
being investigated.
Cases under investiga- sponsored by 100 other yellow Stars of David on
tion are not covered by the members of the House. Sen. April 24 — Holocaust Day
statute of limitations Alan Cranston (D-Cal.) is to in Israel (Yom Hashoa).
should it be adopted by the
West German Parliament.
Meanwhile, the Chris-
JERUSALEM (JTA) — arranged by the JNF were:
tian Social Union par-
liamentary group, the Immigrants arriving at tree planting by teachers at
Bavarian part of the Ben-Gurion Airport this a new forest outside
Christian Democratic week — the week of Tu Jerusalem marking the
Union, voted in favor of b'Shevat .— were greeted 75th jubilee of the Teachers
the statute of limitations with baskets of fruit and Union. At Gush Etzion,
which, if adopted, would nuts. Those already living midway between Jerusalem
go into effect Jan. 1, 1980. in absorption centers were and Hebron, thousands of
On the otehr hand, 27 encouraged to go out in or- school children took part in
members of the Christian ganized groups into the planting ceremonies, pion.
Democratic Union pre- countryside and plant trees. with tourists • and new im
On the "Castel" hill out- migrants; at Yamit, despite
sented a draft resolution in
the Parliament calling for side Jerusalem, scene of its precarious political situ-
the cancellation of the sta- bloody battles in the War of ation, new trees were
tute. According to them, Independence, the Jewish planted; in the Galilee, a
Nazi war criminals should National Fund arranged major planting event took
be prosecutable at any time the planting of 3,000 sapl- place close. to Kiryat
and as long as they are still ings as the start of a forest Shmona, at a forest dedi-
dedicated to the soldiers cated to Jewish-Druze
alive.
In Washington, Rep. who fought and fell at the friendship.
Other ceremonies were
Elizabeth Holtzman (D- site.
Among other activities curtailed by rain.
N.Y.) in her first act as
Israel Marks Tu b'Shevat
,1111111115:4
JEWISH NATIONAL Funo rini" FTP
27308 Southfield Rd. 557-6644 r
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14