JDL Reply
In response to Aslam Abdullah’s letter of Aug. 19 regarding the death of (Palestinian editor) Alex Odeh, I wish to clarify the record. The Jewish Defense League absolutely had no connection whatsoever with the bombing in Santa Ana in 1985.
According to Abdullah, Robert Manning is considered the prime suspect by the FBI. The fact is that Manning left the JDL in the early 70’s and this fact is recognized by Federal and local law enforcement agencies. To date, Manning has not been charged with the bombing. The efforts of the U.S. government to extradite Manning result from another situation entirely that has no relation to Odeh.
At the time of the incident, I was interviewed by local media and did not express any sadness over Odeh’s untimely death. I was reacting emotionally to the statement by Odeh the night before his death, when he said on KABC-TV that Yasser Arafat and the PLO were peace-loving and had nothing to do with the hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship. Abu Abbas, said to have been the mastermind of the attack on the ship, still retains his position as a leading proponent of Arafat’s PLO on the Palestine National Council.
Perhaps I should have chosen my words with more sensitivity, but . . . the reason I stated I had no tears for Alex Odeh was because I had already shed too many tears for the hundreds of victims of Arab terror.
To reiterate, there is unequivocally no link between the JDL and Odeh’s demise.
IRV RUBIN
National Chairman, JDL
Los Angeles
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