Newspaper Page Text
Pro-PLO, Communists Win West Bank
Elections; 72% Eligible Voters To Polls
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since 1972. About 63,000
registered voters cast ballots —
22,000 of them women who were
allowed to vote for the first time.
The participation of some 72.3
percent of the eligible voters is
considered high.
Although only local town
council seats were at stake, the
results seem to have far-
reaching implications for both
Israel and Jordan. The voters
rejected the older traditionalist
leaders, most of them from
wealthy families, who have close
ties with the Hashemite
Kingdom and have generally
cooperated with Israeli
authorities. They selected, in
stead, a younger generation of
professionals, academicians and
intellectuals, some of them
radicals and some relative
moderates, but all with strong
Palestinian nationalist sen
timents.
The nationalist bloc won all 10
seats in Hebron’s town council,
swamping the moderate slate
supported by former Mayor
Mohammed Ali el-Jabaari who
declined to stand for re-election.
First place in Hebron went to
Phahed Kuassma, a moderate
nationalist. The runner-up was
Dr; Awani Zayer, regarded as a
leftist radical, who is expected to
contest the appointment of
Kuassma as Mayor. In Hebron,
77.9 percent of the eligible voters
went to the polls.
Nationalists won eight out of
the ten council seats in Nablus,
the largest town on the West
Bank. First place went to
Bassem Asha Ka, a radical lef
tist, and the second place was
won by Dr. Hatem Abu Gazalla,
a PLO supporter who has a
record of arrests for nationalist
activities. Communist can
didates won a nlajority of the
council seats in Jericho. Incum
bent Mayor Shafik Balu, a
moderate close to the Jordanian
court, took third place. Com
munists or PLOrSupporters won
substantial majorities in
Tulkarem, Ramallah, El-Bireh
and Beit Jallah.
The nationalists failed,
however, in Bethlehem where
they took only two seats on the
town council. The incumbent
mayor, a traditionalist, is
assured of re-election. In Jenin
as well, Mayor Ahmed Carnal A
Sadi scored a victory. The Com
munists failed to win a single
seat.
Women Break
With Tradition'
The heavy turn-out of voters
was all the more impressive in
asmuch as heavy rains swept
most of the West Bank on Tues
day. The high proportion of
women voters was seen as a
strong break with tradition and
a revolt against male conser-
—TURN TO PAGE 3
Former Atlanta
Rabbi Josef Saffra Dies
Rabbi Josef Saffra, who serv
ed Atlanta’s Congregation Beth
Jacob prior to 1962, passed away
in New York during the month
of March. Those Atlantans who
recall him can communicate
with his family through Mrs.
Judith Ehrenberg, 635 W. 174th
Street Apt. 5-A, New York, N.Y.
VOL. LII
One Section, 24 Pages
Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, April 16, 1976
NO. 16
Air Violation Speeds Saudi Arabian
Military Transport Plane To Landing
by YITZHAK SHARGIL
TEL AVIV. (JTA) - An
Americanbuilt "Hercules” C-130
military transport plane of the
Saudi Arabian Royal Air Force
was forced to land at Ben Gurion
Airport Monday. It entered
Israeli air space near Rosh
Hanikra on the Lebanese border
while reportedly on a flight
from Damascus to Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia. The plane carried
31 passengers, including 25 Sau-
dian officers and other military
ranks and six civilians. ,
The crew consisting of a Sau-
dian Air Force pilot, an
American co-pilot, an American
flight engineer, a Saudian flight
engineer and an American
supercargo, were under in
terrogation by Israeli security
officials at an Israeli army of
ficers’ club near the airport this
afternoon. The American crew
members on the Saudian plane
were identified as Arthur
Phillips, Larry Chandler and
Charles Smith. The U.S. Con
sulate was informed of their
presence arid Consulate
representatives are looking after
them.
The passengers, including the
military personnel, were given
the “usual treatment” accorded
passengers in transit, officials
said. The giant aircraft was
parked at a remote corner of the
airport and later removed to a
military airfield, Newsmen were
not permitted to talk to the
passengers or crew but press
photographers were permitted
to take pictures.
The plane landed at Ben
Gurion at about 1 p.m. local time
and was hardly noticed because
of the heavy commercial traffic
bringing visitors to Israel for the
Passover-Easter holidays. It was
learned later that the C-130 had
been intercepted by Israel Air
force jets as it crossed the Israeli
coastline over Rosh Hanikra on a
course that would have taken it
across Israel. The Saudian pilot
complied with the international
signals from the Israeli jets to
follow them and land.
The plane was surrounded by
regular and border police as soon
as it halted on the tarmac at Ben
Gurion Airport but was not im
mediately boarded because the
pilot did not switch off his
engines. The pilot reportedly ex
plained later that he kept his
engines running for a half hour
to feed power to the radio for
communications with the Ben
Gurion control tower. ,
The plane, bearing the
number 1610, was painted in
camouflage colors with the
green Saudian flag and the
transport emblem — an eagle
carrying a parcel — on one side
and the ins-ription “Royal Sau
dian Airf^.ce” on the other side
in English and Arabic.
The plane’s entry into Israeli
air space was reportedly at
tributed by the crew to a
navigational error and an angry
argument developed between the
Saudian captain and the
American co-pilot over who was
responsible, reporters learned.
The co-pilot said the plane was
36 minutes out of Damascus
when it was surrounded by
Israeli interceptors and ordered
to land.
by TUVIA MENDELSON
JERUSALEM, (JTA) - Pro-
Palestine Liberation Organiza
tion nationalists and Com
munists scored overwhelming
victories in most major West
Bank towns in this week’s
municipal elections, the first
at the Jewish Home, served in three wars. He was with the 71st regi
ment at the Mexican Border, was wounded and gassed in World War
I, and served with the New York State Guard, 8th Reg., in World
- -4b. " **
SEDER in Wartime London in 1917 is remembered by Sol Kauf
man, who is one of the servicemen in photo above. Mr. Kaufman,
who is a volunteer in Atlanta for theAJCC, the Meals-on-Wheels and
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