A predictable war of words has erupted between Israel and Iran, following the weekend's sentencing in Shiraz, southern Iran, of 10 Jews convicted of espionage offences, writes David Horovitz. But the level of rhetoric, and the sense of urgency, are relatively mild - because the Revolutionary Court eschewed death sentences and instead ordered jail terms of between two and 13 years.
In Israel and Diaspora Jewish circles, the conclusion of the case has triggered a new public campaign for the 10 Jews to be released immediately. At the same time, privately, Israeli and Jewish officials say they regard the relatively short sentences as vindication of their decision to rely primarily on behind-the-scenes diplomacy as long as the case was still being heard.
The Israeli government, which has always insisted that the charges of spying for Israel brought against the Iranian Jews were baseless, is now promising to work "tirelessly" for their release. The only crime of the convicts, said a government statement, was that they are Jewish. And much of the international community appears to be rallying to the cause, with President Jacques Chirac of France asking the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, to make EU concerns over the case known to Teheran.
Iranian officials, meanwhile, are robustly defending the sentences. Mr Hossein Ali Amiri, head of the judiciary in Shiraz, claimed in a Reuters telephone interview yesterday that the "espionage network" had been gathering sensitive military, industrial and electronics intelligence, and said their jail terms were proportionate to the damage caused.
Several Iranian newspapers yesterday rebuffed allegations of anti-Semitism by noting that two Muslims were also convicted. Lawyers for the convicts are preparing for an appeal.
AFP adds: Pro-reform Iranian students said yesterday they will mark the anniversary of a police assault on a Tehran university dormitory by handing out flowers. The student group "do not wish for the anniversary of the assault on the students to become an occasion for revolt and vengeance".
