4 Friday, July 6, 1984
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
THE JEWISHNEWS -
Serving Detroit's Metropolitan Jewish Community
with distinction for four decades.
Sharon vs. Time magazine
involves some mud-slinging
BY WOLF BLITZER
The Jewish News Washington correspondent
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Washington — Lawyers defend-
ing Time magazine in former Israeli
Defense Minister Ariel Sharon's $50
million libel suit against the publica-
tion are planning an aggressive
strategy of portraying Sharon as a
ruthless and violent military officer
who did indeed encourage the
Phalangists to take revenge for the
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(c) 1984 by The Detroit Jewish News (US PS 275-520)
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CANDLELIGHTING AT 8:52 P.M.
VOL. LXXXV, NO. 19
Yigael Yadin, 1917-1984
Yigael Yadin epitomized the quintessential Israeli: he was an
outstanding scholar, archeologist and general as well as a thoughtful, if less
than successful, politician. He once joked that his career focused on the earth:
as a general he was taught to dig in to the earth to make a stand; as an
archeologist he probed the earth to learn of the past; and as a politician "I was
in drerd (the earth)," he would say.
The truth is that when Yadin created the dovish party, Democratic
Movement for Change, and won 16 seats in the 1977 election and was later
made deputy prime minister under Menachem Begin, there was great hope
among liberals. He did play a role in the peace efforts with Egypt but was
generally considered unable to sway Begin on most issues. Yadin left
government in 1981 after his party suffered defections.
But Yigael Yadin will long be remembered for his heroics as a
commander during the 1948 War of Independence and for the major role he
played in the excavations of Masada, as well as acquiring the Dead Sea
Scrolls for Israel.
His death last week at the age of 67 ends the career of a respected Israeli
leader whose style of intellect, historical knowledge and common sense will
be sorely missed.
July 4th: JNF and USA
July 4th was occasion for advance celebrations of the American
Independence Day in Israel, with the purpose of emphasizing and inviting the
strengthening of the American-Israel cooperative friendship.
A great movement was called into consideration on that score. Israeli
celebrants utilized the observance to go to the Bicentennial American Park
established in honor of the American Bicentennial in 1976. It was occasion to
rejoice at the Kennedy Memorial, one of the very impressive monuments
established in tribute to President John F. Kennedy.
There is the emphasis in the continuing celebrations in the role played by
the Jewish National Fund in the planting of more than a million trees in the
Presidential forests, honoring several American heads of state and other
notables.
Scores of associated interests attest to the closeness of the
American-Israel partnership. More than a century of spiritual interests, the
Scriptural inspirations, the philanthropic roles of many notable
personalities, combined with the devotional aspects in the developing
interests. The Congressional emphases on these aspects of an indestructible
friendship are glorious aspects in an area and an era otherwise shadowed by
multiple dangers. The JNF continuously emerges as a symbol of amity in this
notable spectrum.
The U.S.-Israel friendship gains in eminence this July 4th and the JNF
symbolizes one of the means of giving recognition to the amity between the
two nations.
Ariel Sharon is battling "Time."
assassination of the late Lebanese
President-elect, Bashi'. Gemayel.
In the process, the Time defense
plans to bring numerous Israeli,
American and other governmental
and non-governmental witnesses to
the trial in order to present evidence
that Sharon allegedly had often been
involved in other rather ugly adven-
tures during his military career.
"They want to run him through
the gutter," one well-informed source
close to the case said. "They plan to
bring out before the jury as much dirt
about him as possible."
Time's lawyers made clear dur-
ing pre-trial proceedings with Sha-
ron in mid-June that they intend to
call representatives of the Israeli
government and military — includ-
ing the intelligence community — to
testify about the former defense
minister's involvement behind Arab
lines early in his career in the army
commando unit known as "101."
There have been all sorts of
stories in the Israeli press over the
years suggesting that Sharon and his
commandos were supposedly
engaged in regular killings of Arabs,
including civilians, during those op-
erations.
In addition, they hope to bring
out other incidents in Sharon's mili-
tary career — such as his decision to
disobey orders in the 1956 war by
dropping Israeli paratroopers near
the Mitla and Gidi passes where
many were killed.
. Sharon was later court-
marshalled, but eventually made a
dramatic comeback in rising through
the ranks.
The chief Time attorney in the
case, Tom Barr of the New York firm
of Cravath, Swaine and Moore, has
already said that he hopes to obtain
evidence from the U.S: Central In-
telligence Agency, the Pentagon's
Defense Intelligence Agency, the Na-
tional Security Agency and the State
Department about Sharon's alleged
encouragement of the Phalangists to
take revenge for Bashir's death.
Thus, if any of these agencies
comply, there could even be some im-
portant political and diplomatic
ramifications for U.S.-Israeli rela-
tions.
In its Feb. 21, 1983 issue, Time
said Sharon had "reportedly dis-
cussed with the Gemayels the need
for the Phalangists to take revenge "
for the Bashir assassination. The
magazine said the allegation was
contained in a secret annex to the
final report of the Kahan Commis-
sion of Inquiry on the Sabra and
Shatilla massacres.
Sharon has denied that he
encouraged the Gemayels to take re-
venge or that . any such allegation is
contained in the annex. Time has
stood by its story.
Complicating the case has been
Continued on Page 12
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