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 By SAM FIELD Call 399-1320 SMALLEST AD Red Cross (ICRC), its repre- sentatives have the right to meet with persons impris- oned for security offenses without the presence of Is- raeli officials. BIGGEST DISCOUNTS ON ALL WINDOW COVERINGS HURTIG WINDOW INTERIOR 559-8209 OUR REPUTATION SPEAKS FOR ITSELF FREE ESTIMATES AT GLASSMAN OLDSMOBILE... ."WE WONT SELL YOU A CAR ... WE'LL HELP YOU ,BUY ONE" 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 3,700 Nazi Suspects Hide from Prosecution GLASSMAN .;ALE.s OPEN MON. & THURS. TILL 9 OLDSMOBILE INC 19 GM QUALITY SERVICE/PARTS 28000 TELEGRAPH RD: • SOUTHFIELD. PHONE 354-3300 BONN (JTA) — The German Institute on War Crimes research has re- vealed that 3,708 people are suspected of having corn- mitted serious crimes dur- ing the Nazi period and have not yet been prose- cuted. The institute, in a special 5 lbs. of MATZO If I can't Beat Your Best Deal Margolis Household Furniture 6 Mile, 1 BIk. W. of Schaefer ARNOLD MARGOLIS OUR 33rd YEAR INTERIOR DECORATOR SERVICE SHARPENING the PENCIL On All Name Brands Furniture and Bedding •SCHOOLFIELD •SELIG IIMMONS •SEALY •SERTA •SPRING AIR •LA-Z- BOY •STIFFEL LAMPS • KROEHLER •AMERICAN •BURLINGTON • BASSETT •BARCALOUNGER •LANE •UNIQUE 13703 W. McNichols 342-5351,Hrs. Mon thru Sat. 9:30 til 5:30 'QM IIIP 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 Southfield, Mich. 48076 14