World Demands Release of Jailed Iranian Jews
(Ha'aretz English edition, June 9, 1999)
By David Makovsky, Nitzan Horowitz, Shlomo Shamir, Dov Alfon and Sharon
Sadeh, Ha'aretz Correspondents
Israel and the U.S. are both demanding the immediate release of 13 Jews
arrested in Iran on charges of espionage, saying the charges are
trumped-up and may be motivated by anti-Semitism.
The 13 Jews, from Shiran and Isfahan in southern Iran, were arrested on
the eve of Passover and accused of spying for the "Zionist regime" and
"world arrogance" - references to Israel and the United States
respectively. However, the arrests only became public knowledge on Monday.
Those arrested include a rabbi, a ritual slaughterer and teachers.
In 1997, Iran hanged two people convicted of spying for Israel and the
U.S.
Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon sharply denied in New York yesterday that
any of the arrested men were involved in espionage. None of them has, or
ever has had, any connection with any Israeli intelligence agency, he
said.
A statement issued by the Foreign Ministry spokesman last night says:
"Israel is worried about these arrests, which have occurred only because
the people are Jewish. Israel is deeply concerned about their fate and
demands their immediate release."
Sharon also met yesterday with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and asked
him to work for the prisoners' release.
Washington yesterday denounced the arrests and called on the Iranian
government to release the prisoners. Senior government sources said the
administration was also working to pressure Iran through various third
parties.
President Bill Clinton's advisor on Middle Eastern affairs, Bruce Rydell,
said the espionage charges were utterly baseless. The administration is
"very worried" about the arrests, and hopes Iran will take swift action to
correct the situation, he added.
The arrests were also a central topic of discussion at a meeting of the
House Foreign Relations Committee yesterday. Committee Chair Benjamin
Gilman (R-NY) demanded that Assistant Secretary of State Martin Indyk
inform the committee of what steps the administration was taking to effect
the prisoners' release. Other committee members expressed similar concern,
saying the arrests cast doubt on the Iranian government's commitment to
reform.
Indyk responded that the administration also has difficulty reconciling
President Khatami's soft words with the arrest of the 13 Jews, and called
on Iran to release them immediately.
Larry Schwartz, US embassy spokesman in Tel Aviv, said the arrests "send a
very disturbing signal. We call on the government of Iran to ensure that
no harm comes to these individuals and to release them."
"We learned about the arrests in April, and have been monitoring the
situation closely since then," Schwartz continued. "We treated this matter
with discretion at the request of those who are directly involved in
attempting to seek the release of the individuals. Now that the issue is
in the public domain, we believe it is the right time to speak out."
American Jewish leaders, however, said they felt the administration was
moving very cautiously on the affair because of the fact that the Iranians
are being charged with spying for the U.S. as well.
European coolness
The European Union has so far declined to get officially involved, but
Germany, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, agreed to try to
use its influence with Iran to get the Jews released. French officials
said they were confident that Germany would convey Europe's concern to the
Iranians.
France has also officially expressed its concern over the affair, and on
Monday, the French foreign minister asked his Iranian counterpart to
release the prisoners.
Unofficially, French officials expressed concern that the arrests were
meant to damage Khatami's attempts at liberalization.
Britain, however, took a cooler tone. A Foreign Office spokesman said the
government was "very worried" by the arrests, but did not expect the
incident to halt the thaw in relations between Britain and Iran. Relations
between countries are capable of withstanding many difficulties, he
said.
The spokesman added that Britain will decide on its stance together with
other members of the European Union.
Suppressing Jewish assertiveness?
New York Jews who maintain close contact with Jewish activists in Iran
told Ha'aretz that the arrests in Shiraz, which by Iranian standards is an
assertive Jewish community, might be an attempt to prevent this
assertiveness from spreading to other localities in Iran.
As an example of Shiraz's assertiveness, one source whose business
interests require him to keep a close eye on Iran noted that the community
had refused to comply with a government demand that it open Jewish-owned
businesses on Shabbat and close them on Friday instead. This infuriated
the government, he said, and was apparently the motive for the arrests.
However, other Jewish officials in New York said they share the diplomatic
view that the arrests are the result of a power struggle between the pro-
and anti-reform forces in the Iranian government.
Jews working for Jews
Haim Eisenberg, the president of the Jewish Community in France, met last
night with the president of the Red Cross in Geneva to ask the
organization to keep an eye on the prisoners' health and prison
conditions. The community has also been in contact with French government
officials in an effort to step up the government's official involvement in
the affair.
The umbrella organization for Iranian Jews in Israel said yesterday that
France offers the best hope for the prisoners' release, because of its
good relations with Iran. U.S. Jews privately said they are pinning their
hopes on France as well for the same reason.
Malcolm Hoenlein, executive director of the New York-based Conference of
Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said that France,
Germany, Italy and the Netherlands have sought to intervene on behalf of
the 13, but so far, Iran has not kept any commitments to provide adequate
food and visitation rights.
Meanwhile, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron yesterday sent
telegrams to Pope John Paul II, King Hassan of Morocco, the head of the
chief Islamic study center in Cairo, Al-Azhar, and a leading Moslem cleric
in Indonesia, asking them to use their influence to get the prisoners
released.
Human rights groups, businessmen doing business with Iran and the Iranian
Jewish community in the U.S. have also sought the release of the 13.
Names of Arrested
By David Makovsky, Ha'aretz Diplomatic Correspondent
1, 2. David and Doni Tefilin (brothers) - arrested in Shiraz.
3. Javid Beth Jacob - arrested in Shiraz.
4. Farhad Seleh - community leader arrested in Isfahan and transferred to
Shiraz.
5. Nasser Levi Haim - community leader arrested in Isfahan and transferred
to Shiraz.
6. Asher Zadmehror - community leader arrested in Isfahan and transferred
to Shiraz.
7. Navid Balazadeh - arrested in Isfahan and transferred to Shiraz.
8. Nejat Beroukkhim (uncle) - religious leader arrested in Isfahan,
transferred to Shriaz.
9. Arash Beroukhim (nephew) - religious leader arrested in Isfahan and
transferred to Shiraz.
10, 11. Farzad and Faramaz Kashi (brothers) - arrested in Shiraz.
12. Shahrokh Pak Nahad - arrested in Isfahan and transferred to Shiraz.
13. Ramin - his last name is unknown, so is his place of arrest.