Mideast situation/Palestine question – Letter from Israel

Letter dated 4 September 1985 from the Permanent Representative of Israel

to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

In my letters of 26 April 1985 (A/40/270-S/17132 and Corr.1) and 10 May 1985 (A/40/301-S/17182) I described recent PLO attempts to attack Israel's cities from the sea. I now wish to bring to your attention two similar attempts by PLO.

1. On the night of 25-26 August 1985, an Israeli patrol boat captured a group of Palestinian terrorists aboard the yacht "Kasilradi" off the coast of southern Lebanon. They were to join PLO terrorists in southern Lebanon in launching a massive attack against civilian targets in northern Israel. The yacht set out from an Algerian port and was captured as it approached the port of Sidon in Lebanon. Two weeks earlier, the same vessel tried to land at Sidon but was repelled by local militia.

The captured terrorists were members of the Fatah wing of PLO. They admitted they were trained and armed in special camp in Algeria for explicit missions of murder against Israeli civilians. This is one more example of Algeria's long record of harbouring and training terrorists.

2. On 31 August 1985, an Israeli patrol boat detained the yacht "Ganda" off the coast of southern Lebanon. The yacht attempted to escape and was captured.  The crew included several members at "Force 17", Yasir Arafat's bodyguard unit headquartered in Amman. They too were sent to perpetrate mass murder of Israeli civilians.

These latest actions reflect a change of tactics by PLO following the failure of its vessel "Attivirus" to reach Israel on 21 April 1985 (A/40/270-S/17132 and Corr.1).  Instead of attempting to land directly in Israel, PLO terrorists now try to land in southern Lebanon and, with the help of PLO terrorists there, to infiltrate Israel by land.

These and other PLO actions serve as sober reminders that PLO remains committed to the course of terror and violence. Recent PLO statements leave no doubt about this. On 13 May 1985, Yasir Arafat said in a PLO broadcast from Baghdad that "the PLO will carry out further military operations and that naval operations will continue".

On 28 August 1985, Mr. Shimon Peres, the Prime Minister of Israel, said that "There is no doubt the PLO and Yasir Arafat personally direct these terror operations against Israel".

I have the honour to request that this letter be circulated as an official document of the General Assembly, under items 38 and 130 of the preliminary list, and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Benjamin NETANYAHU

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

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*A/40/50.