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THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE Friday, Aug. 4, 1972 Tel Aviv Trial of Lydda Bomber Exposes Many International Vistas Cantonese and American Cuisine By YITZHAK SHARGIL JTA Tel Aviv Correspondent TEL AVIV (JTA) —• On the victims were mainly 30th of May three young Jap anese pretending to be innocent tourists arrived by an Air France flight via Rome to Lydda Airport and within min utes spread havoc at the air port terminal. Twenty-six peo ple were killed and 78 were injured. Two of the Japanese, who la ter turned out to be members of the Japanese anarchist move ment “The Red Army of Ja pan,” were killed in this attack —■ one of them apparently by his colleague who mistook him for just another passenger, the other by his own grenade yhich exploded in his hands. The third Japanese, at first giving his name as Namba Dai Saka, but later identified as Kozo Okamoto, emptied his two magazines, threw away his auto matic submachine gun and tried to destroy a jetliner with hand grenades. He was spotted by an El A1 technician, Hannan Zeitoun, who had the presence of mind and the courage to jump on Okamoto and hold him until police arrived and arrest ed him. Okamoto was caught red- handed, his guilt beyond dis pute. Yet Israel went out of its way to conduct a trial. The de cision to hold a trial was cor rect, but there was hesitation as to what form the trial should take since the episode had inter national ramifications. It in volved Japanese nationals in the service of Arab terrorists based in Lebanon who landed from an Air France plane from the Italian capital. They com mitted a crime in Israel and the were mainly Puerto Rican tourists who were na tionals of the US. The involve ment of so many foreign na tions could not be ignored. But there were psychological con siderations as well. Immediately prisonment.) The understanding was that Okamoto could receive capital punishment. Once the trial was set in motion, the attorney for the defense was given all possible assistance. He was faced with a client who re fused to help himself or be helped. Tried under emergency regu- JTA SPECIAL ANALYSIS A Having a Meeting? WE RENT: Folding chairs • Easles • Boards * Electric Staplers . . . need anything else call: Artlite Office Supply Co. 1869 Piedmont Rd., N. E. 875-7271 -AutL entic .5'rencl atmosphere aml cuisine Banquets - Parties - Catering DINNER MON. . SAT. 7 P.M - 1 A..M. Serge Claire - Manager 523 6261 __ M-8 Kenney's Alley gw otowxitrinutnu^'j after the airport massacre it ap peared the trial would start within days. There was not much to inves tigate and the facts were clear. “It’s an open and shut case,” prosecutors like to say. Israel wanted an early trial to expose the true nature of the Arab underground and its terrorist organizations. The trial would have been an excellent forum to air the atrocities of the so-called “Free dom Fighters” who have mur dered children in a school bus, women in a market place and tourists at an airport terminal. It transpired, however, that the horror was sufficient in itself to create a strong reaction of world opinion against the Arab terrorists. The Lydda massacre was so revolting that most na tions, including some Arab States, could not help but de nounce it. In that light there was no urgency for the trial per se. The State Attorney and the legal advisers to the Army General H.Q. had time to con sider what form the trial should take, what court should hear it, what regulations should apply, and what charges should be brought against Okamoto. Hav ing committed a crime in Israel proper, he could have been tried by a civil court, which cannot impose capital punishment. But capital punishment was not sought in Okamoto’s case. Israel did not want to create a martyr in the person of Oka moto. The uncertainty about the composition of the court, the question of the requirement of one or two jurists on the bench if it is to impose capital punish ment, indicated the hesitation the Israeli legal machinery dealt with in this case. When the military court was appointed, it turned out it could impose cap ital punishment. A week before Okamoto’s verdict was given a death sentence was issued against an Arab terrorist des pite the fact that the prosecu tion had not asked for it. (It was later commuted to life inf lations which Israel has inheri ted from the British mandate days, Okamoto knew he was subject to capital punishment and seemed to want it. He did everything he could to compel the court to pronounce the su preme penalty. Contrary to de fense counsel’s advise he ad mitted the charges and when his lawyer tried to have him examined by psychiatrists, Oka moto claimed he was sane and needed no medical observation. When defense counsel told the court the death penalty could not be imposed because there was no proof that Okamoto was over 18, the prisoner sprang up to say he was 24, born on Dec. 7, 1947. The surprise revelation of the “pistol agreement” between Okamoto and Gen. Rehavam Zeevi on the night of the mass acre brought about the court’s refusal to accept the oral con fession made by Okamoto to a police inspector. However, the court accepted Okamoto’s writ ten confession. It examined the question of Okamoto’s sanity but after hearing Okamoto’s political philosophy, decided against sending him for mental observation. Surprise was ex pressed when a prosecutor, Lt. Col. David Israeli, failed to ask for a death sentence. We are strong enough not to impose such a penalty, he said. Okamoto still seemed to hope for death. He was found guilty on all counts of murder, dis charging firearms and doing service for an illegal organiza tion. When the court accepted the prosecution’s position that the death penalty could serve no end, Okamoto was bitterly disappointed. The case had the desired effect on world opinion. Everyone was revolted by the killings and those who sent Thinking of Travel? Think of the Travel Mart Atlanta's Oldest Independent Travel Agency 11 Pryer St., S.W., Suite 60S 514-M11 Irvin Frankel Larry Goldberg GLENRIDGE DELICATESSEN AND PACKAGE KOSHER PRODUCTS — PARTY T^AYS BREAD - BAGELS - ROLLS LOX, SMOKED FISH, CORN BEEF, PEPPER BEEF, PASTRAMI, SALAMI . . . IMPORTED AND DOMESTIC CHEESB6, GOURMET FOODS, WINES . . . 5290 Roswell Rd. Open Sundays 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Atlanta, Ga. Phone 252-1601 Okamoto on his mission of death. Reactions to the sentence differed. Some Israelis said capital punishment was obliga tory; others accepted the sent ence. The Puerto Rican victims still in the hospital did not want Okamoto’s life. “Would his death bring back my legs?” one asked. Okamoto had 15 days to appeal. 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