Lobby Activities

By George F. Smalley

For Arabs:

The Reagan Administration's reported use of CIA-trained counterterrorist units in Lebanon was harshly criticized by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) as nothing less than "U.S.-sponsored terrorism." ADC says it will press for a thorough investigation by Congress.

ADC expressed its outrage at a press conference May 14, two days after the Washington Post published a front-page story linking U.S. covert operations in Lebanon to a car bomb explosion in Beirut last March that killed at least 80 Lebanese and injured 200 others. Dr. Omar Kader, ADC's executive director, said "it is not fitting for a great nation like the United States to behave in the same manner as desperate bomb throwers." By engaging in these acts, he said, the Administration "has robbed the American people of their credibility in the fight against terrorism worldwide."

According to the Post story, President Reagan approved a plan late last year for the CIA to train counterterrorist units in Lebanon to strike at individuals suspected of planning attacks on U. S. facilities. It was one of these CIA-trained squads that allegedly acted on its own last March 8 when it hired others to set off a car bomb in an unsuccessful attempt to kill Shiite leader Muhammed Hussein Fadlallah. He is suspected by the United States of playing a role in the 1983 attack on the U.S. Marine barracks in Lebanon and the destruction of the U.S. Embassy annex in 1984.

ADC sent a letter to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, urging him to investigate the matter fully and to make public his findings. ADC also has written to all its members asking them to contact Senator Leahy's office.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Arab Americans (NAAA) held its 13th annual membership meeting in Washington, D.C., May 2-5, and by the accounting of NAAA staff members it was unquestionably a success.

NAAA was particularly pleased by the participation of Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole (R-KS) and House Majority Leader Jim Wright (D-TX). Both men gave luncheon speeches. A dazzling highlight of the conference was the live televideo appearance of King Hussein from Amman, Jordan. The King, who could be watched on either of two huge screens placed at opposite ends of the banquet room, reiterated his view that an "unprecedented opportunity" exists to move the peace process forward. He emphasized that peace negotiations "should be conducted under international auspices."

Michael Armacost, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and one of several State Department officials to take part, rejected the idea of an international conference to solve the Palestinian problem. Speaking just hours before King Hussein, Mr. Armacost said that even if all the parties agreed to attend a conference it "would result in nothing more than a round of political theater."

Other conference speakers included Abdallah Bouhabib, Ambassador of Lebanon to the U.S., Hisham Nazer, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Planning, and Howard K. Smith of ABC News. Entertainers Casey Kasem, Vic Tayback, Michael Ansara and Jimmy Gosen attended an outdoor dinner near the U.S. Capitol that NAAA sponsored to raise money for repairs on the Statue of Liberty.

Total attendance for the four-day event was approximately 700 persons, a figure above last year's but well below the more than 1,000 members who assembled two years ago.

For Israel:

To minimize the chances for success of King Hussein's visit to Washington in late May, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) stepped up its opposition to the sale of sophisticated U.S. weapons to Jordan. But in the final days leading up to the King's arrival in the U.S. AIPAC had to look no farther than the U.S. Congress to find demonstrative support.

On May 8, AIPAC sent a memorandum to members of Congress outlining Jordanian actions that AIPAC says make it undeserving of U.S. arms. At the top of the list was Jordan's refusal to do as Egypt did and negotiate directly with Israel, as Israel is demanding. According to the memo, "King Hussein rejects direct negotiations with Israel on the one hand and then blames the United States for the lack of progress on the other, even threatening Washington that 'American credibility is nearing its final test."' By "insisting" on an international peace conference to settle the Arab-Israeli dispute, the memo says, King Hussein "seeks to increase the role of the Soviet Union" in the Middle East. If the U. S. were now to sell Jordan the advanced aircraft and missiles it wants, the U.S. would, the memo concludes, "reward Jordanian intransigence and discourage other Arab states from participating in the peace process."

On May 10, two days after the AIPAC memo was issued, Senators John Heinz (R-PA) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) began enlisting Senate support on a resolution opposing a U.S. arms sale to Jordan "under present conditions." Within roughly 10 days, more than half the members of the Senate had signed their names to the nonbinding resolution. While this "sense of the Senate" resolution cannot force President Reagan to comply, it does show him that opponents of the sale have taken an early stand to defeat it. The resolution also acts to embarrass King Hussein, who has been denied arms in the past because of congressional opposition.

On the House side, the Foreign Affairs Committee already has approved an amendment to the FY 1986 foreign aid authorization bill prohibiting arms to Jordan until it is prepared to enter direct peace negotiations with Israel. However, this amendment, unlike the Senate version, is in the form of legislation and if it is approved by both the House and Senate President Reagan would have to abide by it, or veto the entire foreign aid bill.

Meanwhile, a separate bill to appropriate foreign aid funds has been working its way through committees. On May 17, AIPAC's executive director, Thomas Dine, went before Congressman David Obey's (D-WI) Foreign Operations Subcommittee to advocate aid increases to Israel. Congressman Obey, who did not shy away from addressing some fundamental issues, asked Mr. Dine if the American Jewish community is actively discussing "the kind of country or society" Israel will be in 10 to 20 years, particularly if it continues to rule over 1.3 million Palestinian Arabs. Mr. Dine responded that there is "ongoing" debate among American Jews on this question, but that a consensus does not exist.

"What comes to mind," Mr. Dine said, is the quality of life on the West Bank. He said that "certain members of the pro-Israel community" believe that economic development should be pursued right now on the West Bank.

However, Congressman Obey disagreed with Mr. Dine on the level of debate, saying that over the last 10 years he has sensed a greater willingness on the part of American Jews "to accept the status quo." Mr. Dine disputed this, arguing that "nobody feels easy with it."

George F. Smalley is the managing editor of The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.