Israeli Communists Leave on China Visit

Israeli Communist leaders left for Beijing on Friday for their first visit in 30 years but said they were carrying no message from the Israeli government.

China has never established diplomatic ties with Israel, although Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said recently there were signs of a thaw in relations.

At an airport news conference, Meir Wilner, secretary general of the Israel Communist Party, said the visit, at the invitation of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee, was important because “The last time they invited us was in 1956.”