Wednesday, October 25, 1967
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
13
Israel, Egypt at it again
By United Press International
Pillars of flame higher than the pyramids and visible 40 miles away shot into the sky above Port Suez today in the aftermath of Israel's massive shelling of Egypt's major oil refining complex.
The dangerous new eruption of Middle East fighting touched off a clash in an emergency U.N. Security Council session between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviets demanded Israel be condemned and made to pay for the attack. The United States sought condemnation of "any and all" violations of the Mideast cease-fire.
The Cairo newspaper Al Akhbar said the Israeli action was "cowardice" and a "cheap decision of retaliation" for Saturday's missile sinking of the Israeli destroyer Elath.
Two refineries hit
In Suez, 400 firemen battled an inferno in two adjoining refineries on the outskirts of the city. Firemen swarmed in from Cairo, Ismailia and other cities to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby storage tanks.
Authoritative Israeli sources said the attack knocked out 80 per cent of Egypt's oil production facilities. They asked their Arab neighbors to take stock of what Russia's friendship has cost them so far—a war lost, an army demoralized, the closure of the Suez Canal, the evacuation of major canal cities and now the loss of most of the nation's oil production.
Even Suez Gov. Hamid Mahmoud said the refineries represented 60 per cent of Egyptian production.
Since 90 per cent of the products from both plants goes to Cairo, officials predicted severe shortages of diesel fuel, kerosene and butane cooking gas in the capital.
But Mahmoud said, "If the Israeli believe they dealt a crippling blow to the U.A.R. economy, they are wrong."
Three hour battle
Israel charged Egypt started the fighting with a small arms attack on its forces that escalated into a three-hour artillery exchange. There was no official indication that the shelling of Suez was a direct retaliation for the Egyptian sinking Saturday of the Israeli destroyer Elthh. The ship was sent to the bottom by four Soviet-supplied missiles. Fifty-four of its crewmen perished.
The only hint that the shelling
was retaliatory came from Israeli Ambassador Gideon Rafael in the Security Council, who said "Reciprocity is the essence of a cease-fire." He stressed the shelling followed the loss of the Elath.
Gov. Mahmoud put Egyptian casualties at three civilians killed and 60 wounded in addition to three soldiers killed and five wounded.
Mahmoud said the Israeli fire also hit a fertilizer plant, Suez harbor facilities, assorted factories and other civilian targets.
Cease-fire arranged
Lt. Gen. Odd Bull of Norway, the chief UN truce observer in the Middle East, reported from the scene that a cease-fire was arranged late Tuesday afternoon.
Bull said Israeli mortars fired the first shots, opening up on an Egyptian oil refinery southwest of Port Suez near the southern end of the canal shortly after noon. The fighting soon escalated into a full scale artillery duel with each side using big guns.
Conflicting claims on casualties and damage were issued in both Cairo and Jerusalem, but it was clear Egyptian oil supplies had been hit heavily. An official government spokesman in Cairo said oil refinery fires were still burning late Tuesday night after the shooting stopped.
The Cairo communique said Egyptian shells destroyed one Mirage jet fighter plane, 10 Israeli tanks, four armored cars, one truck, five rockets, six observation outposts, two medium sized machine guns, three ammunition dumps, an administration center and several mobile artillery pieces.
The Egyptian communique said Israeli forces killed three soldiers, wounding five and hit a tank. It said the Israelis killed three Egyptian civilians and wounded 37, four seriously.
Accuse Egypt
In Jerusalem sources said Israeli artillery shells set fire to refineries supplying more than 5 million tons of Egypt's annual consumption of 6.5 million tons of oil.
The Israeli informants denied that Israeli forces had opened fire first, claiming Egyptians started the battle by attacking Israeli troops along the east bank of the waterway. These sources said the Egyptian gunners were firing from civilian areas and that Israeli counterfire was unable to avoid nonmilitary personnel.
Jorusalem dispatches denied
Egyptian claims that any Israeli aircraft had been hit in the fighting.
"The Israeli Air Force was not even engaged in today's incident," one informed military source in Jerusalem told UPI late Tuesday night.
Gen. Bull's report to the UN made no mention of aircraft.
Official Bulletin
TODAY
Foreign Students: Interested in the Christmas Adventure in World Understanding in Michigan? Visit the Office Dean of Foreign Students, 226 Strong.
Le Cercle Francais se reunira mercéredi 25 octobre a 4 h. 30 dans le Louvre en Union Building.
Programme：“L'Institut de l'étudiant.” vue par les étudiants.
AUPD Dinner Meeting. 6 p.m. "Desiring Faculty and Administrative Bureau at University Government." Panel: Westcott Kangorner, Holler. Worth: Kansas State.
Kansas Union.
Carillon Recital. 7 p.m. Albert Gerken.
Classical Film, 7 & 9 p.m. "Gold of
Nature," by Dyche Aud.
Faculty: Registr. & Program
dif. pianist. Swarthout Recital Hall.
10 p.m. University Lutheran Church.
30 p.m. University Lutheran Church.
THURSDAY
Jr. Executive Savings & Loan Institute. All Day. Big 8 Room. Union.
Lecture. 10:30 a.m. "National Endowment for Humanities." Robert H. Walker, Director of Special Projects, NEH. Room Room. Union.
Architectural Lecture. 3:45 p.m. G.
e-Reading. 3:45 p.m. architect-author
Speaking on the Law. 1:20 p.m.
Squares." Swarthout Recital Hall.
University Theatre. 8:20 p.m.
College Life. 9 p.m. Tau Kappa Epsilon House. "O Sinner Man."
KU Arabs ask city for nonpartisan aid
There are 200,000 Arabs on the East Bank of the Jordan, refugees from their homes on the West Bank "And Jordan, you know, is one country that can't stand a single extra man, especially with its resourceful area now cut off."
"We are going at this with a completely humanitarian view," the Arab said, "and putting all politics and conflicts out of it."
Abdul Said, Saudi Arabia senior, was describing the situation which has spearheaded a Lawrence campaign by 50 KU Arab students from all parts of the Arab world to aid the 200,000 homeless.
Distributed by Red Cross
Members of the organizing committee leaned forward as they sat talking, with husky, lyric voices, the accent falling softly like water.
"We are working through the American Red Cross, which will transport all clothing, canned food, and money in the name of Lawrence citizens," said Khalid Sabih. Iraq graduate student."After all, it is not the Arab students of KU who are contributing, but the people of the campus and Lawrence. It would be nice for the refugees to know that."
"Winter is coming," Said said. "We must hurry."
Sabih said temperatures in Jordan reached 25 degrees and below. The people are living 10 to a tent, without enough water to allow children to wash filth from their faces. Flies swarm about their heads.
Need is everything
"In a six-day war, you don't have time for preparation for leaving," Said said. "These people need everything. And with winter, disease will come. Imagine how fast disease will travel through 200,000 crowded, deprived people."
A United Nations relief agency is caring for more than 1,000,000 refugees who have occupied Jordan for 20 years following the 1948 war with Israel; so far, however, no one is looking out for the recently-made refugees.
Telephone calls with the same information can be made to Mrs. Ali Halabi, or Mrs. Mohammed Ali Akkila.
All donations will be picked up by committeeemen, at the request of citizens. A postcard to the Organization of Arab Students, Box 712, with time and place, plus name, is all that is needed.
Committemen besides Said and Sabih are Ron Baldridge, Lawrence freshman; Farouk Saad, Sudan sophomore; Ibrahim Nejar, Algeria senior; Yousuf Al Saloom, Saudi Arabia graduate student; and Zuhair Duhaiby, Saudi Arabia senior.