Hillel Feels Conference On Near East One-Sided

The B'nai Brith Hillel Society and a Boston Student Israeli group last night protested that the United Nations delegate from Syria had dictated undemocratic and unalterable terms to the United Nations Council while the Council was attempting to plan a balanced conference on the "Arab-Israeli Conflict."

Acting Hillel president Martin h. Brownstein '56 told the CRIMSON that "when we realized the Arab delegate would not speak on the same platform as an Israeli representative, a Boston Israeli group offered to compromise and put up an American Zionist as a cross-examiner after the speeches."

"The Council agreed to this," he continued. "However, the Arab told them yesterday he would not allow this and so the Council backed out."

The Council had originally scheduled the Arab speaker for this Friday's conference and had planned to have Arthur Leveran, one of the Israeli UN delegates, speak at a seminar on Saturday.

Brownstein added that he thinks there is now a possibility that the Israeli delegate will refuse to speak entirely. Under present circumstances, he claimed, the Saturday seminar, not only is at an inopportune time, but it will have received no publicity except for an advertisement the Council has contracted for Saturday's CRIMSON.

J. C. Peter Richardson '56, chairman of the conference, yesterday denied rumors that when the Council first planned the program, it excluded the Israeli representative altogether at the request of the Arab delegate, Rafik Asha. It had been reported that the Council scheduled the Saturday seminar only after receiving a formal protest from the Israeli UN delegation.

Israeli Advantages

Duncan H. Cameron '56, president of the UN Council said last night that he had in no way compromised with the Boston Israeli group although he had agreed it would be a good idea to have an American Zionist as a questioner. He added, however, that he thought the Syrian delegate, Asha, had been entirely within his rights in refusing to allow the questioner.

"Whereas Asha will have to answer question after his speech on Friday night, the Israeli speaker will not have to do this at the seminar on Saturday," Cameron said.

Stanley J. Shapiro '55, president of the N.E. region of the intercollegiate Zionist Federation, claimed that the proposed American Zionist cross-examiner, Saul Cohen, professor of Middle Eastern Affairs at Boston University, yesterday said he would not have accepted such a compromising role.

Richardson said that he had heard the Israeli delegate would appear in Friday night's audience as a questioner from the floor.

In his statement, Cameron added "I urge anyone who thinks the United Nations Council is one-sided in this matter to come to hear both speakers present both sides of the case. In the past, the Council has never taken sides in any matter."

Possible Picketing

David J. Levinson '55, an unaffiliated Zionist, threatened last night that he would consider picketing the conference on Friday as a last recourse in order to let people attending the meeting know that they would only hear one side of the case