Send it for Less at ... bre United Nations In Israel Keeps A Low Profile 6453 Farmington Rd. (at Maple Rd.) SIMON GRIVER Special to The Jewish News erusalem — Officially, the United Nations condemns Zionism as racism and constantly hounds Israel with resolution after resolution charging heinous crimes against humanity. But in practice, United Nations personnel stationed in Israel appear to toe an impartial line, favoring neither Israel nor the Arabs. Lisa Buttenheim is the polit- ical affairs officer and spokes- man for the Jerusalem-based United Nations Truce Super- vision Organization (UNTSO). She differentiates between the motions voted on by the Gen- eral Assembly in New York and the work conducted around the world by the Secretariat. "The General As- sembly represents the views of the majority of the nations of the world," explains But- tenheim. "The resolutions passed in the General Assem- bly are not binding on us. Thus, the Secretariat maintains its credibility because it is di- vorced from the General As- sembly. I, myself, do not agree with the General Assembly's resolution on Zionism." In addition to 300 UNTSO observers, there are 1,800 ob- servers of the United Nations Disengagement Observers Force (UNDOF), 5,800 soldiers of the United Nations Interim Force Inside Lebanon (UN- IFIL) and the staff of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). UNRWA, which was set up to supervise the Palestinian refugee problem, is often blamed by Israelis and Pales- tinians alike for perpetuating the problem by impeding im- provements in the refugee camps. Buttenheim distances herself from the agency, claim- ing that "we have nothing to do with them." She lauds the work of UNIFIL in the tense, war-torn situation in Southern Lebanon. She also points out that all UNDOF personnel who are concerned with peacekeeping in the Golan Heights, as well as UNTSO concerned primarily with the Sinai, do not carry guns. UNTSO was established in 1949 to supervise Israel's armistice agreements with her neighbors. Today, UNTSO ob- serves peaceful borders with Egypt and Jordan, maintains contact with UNDOF on the Golan Heights where there has barely been an incident since the Yom Kippur in 1973 and deals with UNIFIL on Lebanese matters. Despite the United Nations' bad public relations image in Israel, due to the anti-Zionist stance of the General Assem- bly, Buttenheim insists that relationships between UN staff and Israelis are healthy. She regrets that the UN role in nurturing the delicate balance j /— c of trust and suspicion between Israel and her Arab neighbors is rarely appreciated by the Is- raeli public. She blames the Is- raeli media, which, like the media throughout the western world, is interested only in sensation and scandal but not in the quiet success of a peacekeeping operation like UNTSO. Buttenheim praises the cooperative nature of the IDF and Israel's Foreign Ministry. She says that she enjoys "a healthy discussion and exchange of views", which is her answer to whether Is- raelis are hostile when they discover that she represents the UN. The 300 UNTSO observers are led by General Emmanuel Erskine from Ghana and each observer has at least the rank of major in his army of origin. The largest group of UNTSO observers come from the American and Swedish armies with 36 each. France supplies 26 officers, Finland 22 and there are major contingents from Chile, Argentina and Ire- land. Israel has requested that no Soviet personnel be stationed within its borders. The soldiers are loaned to the United Nations from their country's armies for periods of one to four years. Depending on their length of stay and the conventions in their country of origin, the soldiers decide whether or not to bring their families to Israel. Buttenheim estimates that about half the UN soldiers in Israel bring their families. Due to the open lifestyle in Israel, the UN leaves its per- sonnel to find their own living accommodation and pursue their own social life. Children of UN families are usually sent to American and British-run high schools, though some pre- fer regular Israeli schools. "In Damascus where there is a less open society," says But- tenheim, "we do much more for our staff, providing clubs and social facilities." In some towns, like Nahariya and Tiberias in the north, the United Nations per- sonnel are very popular be- cause they bring so much busi- ness to the region. "Israelis are usually interested in the UN soldiers," adds Buttenheim, "not so much because they are UN soldiers but because they come from other parts of the world. They are interested in different nationalities and how those nations might view Is- rael." Buttenheim herself hails from Stockbridge, Massachu- setts and has been in Jerusalem for two years. She joined the UN after studying Politics on the graduate level in Washington, D.C. at the John Hopkins School for Inter- national Studies. Her office in Jerusalem is in Government House where 220 UNTSO ad- ministrative personnel are stationed. • World Zionist Press Service 855-5822 AMA MARKET PLACE Advertisement We've de-classified the name of our huge classified section to call it what it really is: THE AMAZING MARKET- PLACE of budget-priced saleables and services. For information how you can advertise to almost everyone in your community, call 354-6060. Would you buy a used typewrit- er from this man? The year was 1947. The war was over. The boys were home. 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