Israel and PLO charge each other with terrorism

April 2, 1980

Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization exchanged charges of terrorism during a fresh round of debate Tuesday on the Palestinian question at the UN Security Council.

In the first resumption of the debate since Andrew Young resigned as US ambassador last August, the chairman of the UN's Palestinian Rights Committee, Falilou Kane of Senegal, asked the Council Monday to "act swiftly" to reaffirm the Arab Palestinians' "right to self-determination and the creation of an independent state," as well as what he called their right to return to their homes.

The call for a debate on the issue came from Arab states angered over Israel's decision to establish a Jewish presence in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron.