Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 25, 1990 TAG: 9003251854
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: JERUSALEM LENGTH: Medium
The decision by Aeroflot, the Soviet carrier, followed a move by Hungary's Malev airline to suspend flights of Soviet Jews to Israel because of threats of attacks by Arab radicals.
"We refuse to believe that the Soviet Union . . . is subject to giving in to any type of terrorism," said Gad Ben Ari, spokesman for the quasi-governmental Jewish Agency. The Agency is partially responsible for the immigration and absorption of Jewish immigrants.
"If true, then it is definitely going to significantly damage the process of immigration to Israel."
The majority of the thousands of Soviet Jews expected to immigrate to Israel this month were scheduled to travel via Budapest.
Other smaller transit points are still open, but "practically speaking, the Jews are stuck," said Ben Ari.
Israeli officials said charter flights could be found to replace the Malev flights from Budapest to Israel, but this will not help if the emigres are unable to reach Budapest to begin with.
Hungarian officials said they cut the Malev flights after threats from Arab extremists earlier this month. The pro-Iranian Lebanese group, Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine, threatened to attack any airline involved in the transport of Soviet Jews to Israel.
Soviet television said Friday that Aeroflot would not sell tickets to emigrants traveling to Budapest from Moscow, Leningrad or Kiev. The television said Aeroflot would still transport businessmen and tourists.
An Arabic newspaper reported Friday that Soviet and Israeli officials have been visiting Cyprus and Greece to discuss setting up a maritime line to bring Soviet Jews to Israel.
The London-based Al Hayat newspaper quoted unnamed Greek and Arab sources as saying the ships could sail between the Black Sea port of Odessa and the Israeli port of Haifa.
Officials in Cyprus and Greece could not be reached for comment and under new censorship regulations, Israeli officials are barred from commenting on routes taken by new immigrants.
The Soviet Union has been under strong pressure from Arab states to limit the number of Jews immigrating to Israel.
Arab states fear that Soviet immigrants will be sent to live in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, strengthening Israel's hold on the disputed territories.
by CNB