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The Canadian Jewish News, Thursday, bctpber 28,1982 - Page 9
Knesset approves closure of El Al, but...
By TAMMY KAROL
The Israeli cabinet decided last week to liquidate the country's strike-plagued and financially ailing national airline, following a recommendation by EI Al's board of directors.
But a clause in the cabinet statement indicates that a revival of the state-owned carrier is still possible if the His-tadrut Federation of
Trade Unions accepts the principles put forward by management for restructuring El Al.
The clause says that if the Histadrut will "announce that it accepts the prir.ciples, negotiations shall start forthwith for the conclusion of a newlabor agreement."
The Israeli cabinet discussed the board of directors recommendation at its weekly meeting last Sunday.
dead at age 82
MONTREAL —
Dr. Solomoii Friaiik, longtime rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, diied last week at the Jewish General Hospital of a brain tumor. He was 82.
Born in New York City, Frank came to Canada in 1926, serving as rabbi in Winnipeg's Shaarey Zedek Congregation. He moved to Montreal in 1947, becoming rabbi at Congregation Shearith Israel, (now Spanish and Portuguese) the oldest synagogue in Canada.
He played an active role in community life.
serving among other things as chaplain to most major hospitals in Mon^treal, but was best known for the thoughtful Sunday morning messages . he delivered on CJADtheiast25 years.
Services for Frank, who is survived by his wife Elsie, daughter Karen Beer and one grandchild, were held in the synagogue. Contributions can be made to the Rabbi Dr. Solomon Frank Memorial Fund. Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue. 4894 St. Kevin St., Montreal, H3W 1P2.
According to the Renter news agency, the decision to recommend the Hquidation of EI Al was disclosed last week by Treasury Secretary General Ezra Sedan, after employees ' gave only liniited support to a drastic reorganization plan. EmpIoye;es said they could only agree conditionally to the restructuring, which included the elimination of some 1,000jobs.
Negotiations to close the airline have involved the El Al board, management. Histadrut. and the dozen workers' com-. mittees representing airline employees.
Hisiadrut, the trade union, agreed last week to negotiate on the basis of a 10-point * Statement of principles'' worked out by the board of directors and management, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency [JTA] reports.
Under those principles, the airline's management would be the sole authority in running the carrier and would dismiss some 1,000 of El Al's present 5,000 employees. .
According to the JTA, some employees charged that the government had no intention of reaching an agreement with the workers, because Prime Minister
Menachem Begin and his Likud-Herut alliance oppose state-owned enterprises as a matter of ideology.
They suggested that Begin and other Herut leaders readily agreed to the Agudat Israel demand to suspend El Al flights on the Sabbath, regardless of economic losses, in order to exacerbate worker-management disputes.
This would lead to the shutdown and possible sale of the airline to private entrepreneurs,
some of whom are longtime Herut supporters.
All El Al planes have been grounded since Sept. 16, and the airline is not selling any more tickets.
In Canada, El Al is continuing to carry people to and from Israel on equipment leased from other airlines.
Rehavia Ben Shach, general manager of El Al in Canada, told The CJN that El Al could still be revived under government ownership if an agreement is reached between government, the board of directors and employees.
Ben Shach said he prefers pubhc to private ownership, because El Ai was founded as a na-
tional, state-owned carrier.
Israel has two other airlines, Arkia and Maof^
which are both privately owned and fly on a charter basis to Europe. There is speculation
that Arkia and Maof will expand their seirvices outside Israel, in light of the shaky future of EI Al.
[Cont'd, from page 1]
aPalestine Red Crescent. However the program was changed, and Arafat addressed an eiarlier meeting. -
Arafat was reported to have left the convention and Montreal before De Bane arrived, one hour late, on Friday night.
Earlier in the week, the ,Canadian Jewish Congress sent strongly worded telegrams to Ottawa and Quebeci protesting their participation in the conference. De Bane and convention officials denied, how-
ever, that this had anything to do with the change in the speaking plans.
After the meeting, De Bane was asked if his appearance indicated-that Canada fiad tak^n another step towards recognizing the PLO.
"This is not in the cards," he-replied, adding Canada encourages the PLO to use political means to' defend its cause, and would . continue to maintain contacts with the organization.
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a Conservative Synagogue of 750 families in Toronto, Ontario in seeking a
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Salary commensurate with experience. Please send a recent casette tape, curriculum vitae and references. All applications will be handled in strict confidence. Please send all material to the. Chairman, Search Committee, 3080 Bayview Avenue, Willowdale, Ontario M2M 5L3.
S i'
Myth Fact:
Myth: Fact:
Myth: Fact:
: The Palestiniians need a homeland. The Palestinians already have one, Jordan.- Both
historically and demographically, the Jordanian state is the homeland oJF the Palestinians. The Kingdom of Palestine, as Jordan was called, comprises approximately 77% of the disputed territory Britain acquired from the defunct Ottoman Empire. Approximately 60% of Jordan's citizens-are Palestinians. Prince Hassan of thetulingHashemite family, acknowledged the historical identity when he declared before the Jordanian National Assembly on February 2, 1970; "Palestine is Jordan and Jordan is Palestine^ It is composed of one nation and one country, having one history and the same destiny."
The United States does not support the( establish-merit of an,independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.
Following, classical diplorriatic practice. President Reagan has tried to cloak his main objective with a string of euphemisms that include "full autonomy!' involvirig "the transfer of domestic authority'' to a "self-governihg Palestinian authority." Despite his disclaimer that the Uni will hofsupport the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, all the essential ingredients for de facto internal sovereignty under internationai law ai-e contained within the plan; a territory, a com-muriity, and a gpvernment in control ^of all matters within its; borders, Linking Jordan with the admin-istratibn of the West Bank, he noted, is ah interim measure. That is, a prelude to the granting of external de jurerecoghitioh by any state thai; Would eompleteVthe transition to full and complete international statehood for a second Palestinian state; Palestinian *' moderates" such as Yasser Arafat are willing to recognize Israel if a Palestinian state is .created..-. ''.^'yr\]:,--:.:-.:'y:-i'\/■■'/. ' :'''vr:-:
Yasser Arafat, P.L.p; chairman, dismissed out of hand during his recent visit to Athens French President .Miherand's call for the P.L.O. to recognize the right of the state of Israel to cp-e:xist with a Paleistihian state. In this ■respect.vMr. Arafat has : adhered to the remarkably explicit covenant of the JP:L>Ot7 Article 19, bf which states that "the partltiofi\ of Palestine^in 1947 and the estabUshmenr"of7tlie~ istate of Israel are enUrely illegal. ■." FurtIfier- _ more, Article 20 n^tes^hat ''claBSis^of histprlcal'or religiousr ties of Jews with Palestine are incom-: patlBle^ith the facts of history and the true cdnc^ii^^ tionof what conistitutesstatehocKl." Thus Mr. Arafat
Myth Fact:
was simply reiterating his organization's minimum terms as he did in a New RepubHc interview. "The goal ofour struggle is the end of Israel and there can be no compromises or mediations. Peace for us means Israel's destruction and nothing else/' : "Moderate" Arab states are willing to recognize Israel as indicated by their resolutions at Fez, Morocco. • The recent Arab Surrimit Conference resplution calling on the United Nations Security Council ;to guarantee the peace and the; security of states in the region is in no way a departure from their previous hostile position. Even if one can ignore the fact that the Security Council has never in the U.N/s entire iiiFetime guaranteed eitherthe peace or the security of any state in the world, the 1968 Soviet invasion of Gzechoslpvakia suffices as an example, the resolution in no way provides either de facto or de jure recognition of Israel if one uses any standard diplo-: matit definitipn; "an pfficial actsuch ais an exchange of ambassadors that acknowledges the existence of a government and indicates readineiss to. engage in formal relations with it."
; Saudi Arabia has even gone so far as tp include in its contracts with businesses aind universities clauses specifically ejicluding •Zionists'. therefore, it was no surprise that Saudi Arabijan officials were so disturbed by intefpretatidns that their previous "peace" plan offered implicit recognition of Israel, they niade it clear that .S^^ supported the P.L.O.'s position on the question. ; : The United States is willing.to force the Arab states to recognize Israel. ;: '';/'. The United States has granted its two main Arab . allies. Jordan and Saudi Arabia, a virtual diplomatic immunity concerning their rejection of the Camp David Peace Accords underwhich Egypt becarne the first Arab sate to recognize Israel. Instead of pubhc censure and economic sanctions, the United States rewarded their intransigence with increased economic and military aid including the most advanced weapons systems siich as the A.W.A.C.'s. In contrast, American officials have publicly castigated Israel and threatened reductions in; its economic ,S.uppbrt for its diplomatic "transgressions.''. v. The Begiji goyernmcnt is the chief obstarte to peace in the MiddlcEast.- ; t"'^ : ^' ^ '
The Arab position has never changed even when faced by a more J'liberal" Israeli. administration. 'From 1948 to 1966 a Labour„goyernment was in power in Israel and-the" West Bank was an integral
. *l'laced. as a public service to the community Mel Himes.
Myth Fact:
Myth Fact:
, part of Jordan. Despite Labour's progresisiye policies, not onesingle Arab country established diplomatic relations with Israel. In fact, ten Arab states severed diplomatic relations with West Germany when itestablished official ties with Israel. . Equally important, Arab leaders never mentioned, let alone demanded, the creation of a Palestinian state on the West Bank of the Jordan River. As the head of the American-Arab Relations Committee informed the New York Times (October 3. 1982) for the Arabs and their states "the problem Is not Begin; it Is Zionism." Myth: President Reagan has promised America's "iron^
clad" support for Israel and its right to exist. Fact: Unfortunately, American commitments have been . found seriously wanting as their equivocal support during the Falkland crisis for the United Sates' oldest and most trusted European ally, Britain, demonstrated. Nor have past U.S/regional guarantees proved any more reliabale as evidenced by the American failureto honour, along with Canada, an international pledge to keep the Straits of Tiran ppen to international navigatibn when the late Egyptian President Nasser closed them, precipitating the : 1967 Mideast War. Even after Israel almost commit-, ted suicide in the 1973 Yom Kippur War when it did . not launch a last minute preemptive strike because of U.S. government-pressure, the American administration deliberately delayed shipping needed military supplies despite their previous promises. The present American administration did not even • ensure that the P.L.O abided by the terms of the Beirut evacuation, agreement resulting in both guerilla fighters and large ammunition supplies, . approximately 200 tons, being left in the refugee camps. ^ ■■/■; Myth: President Reagan's prpposals offer the best hope for
V ' peace in the Middle East. ■ ; ; Fact: It is not surprising that the requests of. groups ■ within Israel and the Diaspora for mutual Israeli-Palestinian recognition have not been met with
; ; reciprocal Arab calls, For diplomatic history is ; replete with the failure of policiies of unilateral concessions such as the Reagan proposals. And as ■ long as diplomatic pressure continues-to be applied in a like manner, peace,in the Middle East will " remain as elusive as a desert mirage. '■'
. ^ ; Professor Mel HImes '/''^ ■ "
- Department^f PoliticalJScience, Dawson College [For identification purposes]