Arab Slanders Israel at U.N. Debate on So, Africa’s Apartheid Policy

One of the sharpest Arab-Israeli debates staged here in many years broke out today in the General Assembly’s Special Political Committee, where Iraq’s representative, Dr. Adnan Pachachi, attacked Israel and “Zionism” as racist practitioners similar to the racism practiced by the Republic of South Africa’s Apartheid policy.

Ambassador Arieh Eshel, of Israel, the Israeli delegation’s deputy chairman and representative on the committee, battled Dr. Pachachi, replying twice to the Iraqi “slanders.” After the Iraqi had spoken twice, and Mr. Eshel replied an equal number of times, Yordan Tchobanov, of Bulgaria, chairman of the committee, gave Pachachi the floor a third time but refused Mr. Eshel’s efforts to reply again.

The fight started after Mr. Pachachi, condemning South Africa’s Apartheid policy, declared “Zionism also advocated race superiority” and accused Israel of “persecuting” its Arabs. Mr. Eshel told the committee that “Zionism is the national independence movement of the Jewish people,” and said he wished the Arabs in other countries had as many democratic rights as those accorded by Israel to Arabs living in Israel.

Mr. Pachachi repeated his allegations with greater violence, and Mr. Eshel rose again to reply. Accusing the Iraqi of “slander” once more, Ambassador Eshel reminded the delegates that many UN representatives have visited Israel and are aware of Mr. Pachachi’s “falsehoods.”

For a third time, the Iraqi repeated his accusations, and in a more acrid tone. When Mr. Eshel insisted on replying, the Bulgarian chairman Tchobanov rapped his gavel and would not let the Israeli speak, “Under the Charter,” said the representative of the Communist satellite state, “nobody has a right to the last word;” Mr. Eshel tried to raise a point of order, which Mr. Tchobanov ruled out of order.