Washington Report, May 27, 1985, Page 8

Facts For Your Files: A Chronology of U.S.-Middle East Relations

May 1:

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations voted 12 to 0 to provide $1.5 billion in supplemental emergency aid to Israel over the next two years, beginning in fiscal 1985. Prior to the vote, Secretary of State George Shultz notified subcommittee chairman David Obey (D-WI) that the Administration was no longer asking Congress to delay consideration of the emergency economic aid, as it had been doing as a way of prodding Israel to make fundamental economic reforms. Included in the supplemental was $500 million in economic aid to Egypt and $8 million for Palestinian residents on the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

May 7:

The House voted 422-0 in favor of the U.S.-Israel free trade agreement signed by the two countries on April 22.

May 12:

The Israeli Defense Ministry admitted that between 1979 and 1983 Israel had obtained a number of U.S.-made timing devices that can be used to make nuclear weapons. Spokesman Nachman Shai said the devices, called krytrons, were used by Israel only in the research and development of conventional weapons, but that most were "still in stock." Mr. Shai said that none of the krytrons had been re-exported. Israel made public this admission following the revelation in Newsweek magazine that a federal grand jury in Los Angeles was investigating an alleged case to smuggle the krytrons out of the U.S. and into Israel. It is against U.S. law to export krytrons without a special license. No special licenses had been granted by the U.S. for the export of krytrons in Israel's possession.

May 12:

The Washington Post reported that President Reagan approved a plan in late 1984 directing the CIA to train several counterterrorist units in Lebanon to go after persons suspected of planning attacks on U.S. institutions. The operation reportedly was cancelled after one of these units, which included Lebanese intelligence personnel, acted without CIA authorization and hired others to explode a car bomb near the Beirut home of Shiite leader Muhammed Hussein Fadlallah He escaped injury but more than 80 persons were killed and some 200 wounded in the March 8, 1985 blast.

May 13:

The CIA stated that it had "never conducted any training of Lebanese security forces related to the events" described May 12 in the Washington Post. Also the CIA said it "had no foreknowledge of the Lebanese counterterrorist action mentioned in the article."

May 13:

Secretary of State George Shultz ended a four-day trip to the Middle East by saying that "some headway" had been made on the formation of a Palestinian-Jordanian delegation that could participate in Middle East peace talks. Mr. Shultz met with Israeli Prime Minister Peres, Egyptian President Mubarak, and Jordan's King Hussein.

May 15:

The full Senate adopted a FY1986 foreign aid authorization bill containing $4.5 billion for Israel. This sum includes $3 billion in grants for fiscal 1986—$1.8 billion in military aid and $1.2 billion in economic assistance—and $1.5 billion in emergency supplemental grants to be disbursed over a two-year period. Egypt, the next biggest recipient, was awarded $1.3 billion in military aid, $815 million in economic assistance, as well as $500 million in supplemental funds for FY 1985.

May 16:

A federal grand jury indicted a California businessman on charges of illegally exporting 800 krytrons to Israel between January, 1980 and December, 1982. Richard K. Smyth, owner of Milco International, was charged with 15 counts of violating the U.S. Arms Export Control Act and 15 counts of making false statements to U.S. Custom officials.

May 16:

State department spokesman Edward Djerejian said Israel told the U.S. that the 800 krytrons it had obtained "were used for non-nuclear applications in defense-related programs such as laser range-finders" and that Israel would give the U.S. "a formal written assurance that the devices will not be used for nuclear purposes." He also said the U.S. "did request that the krytrons remaining in stock in Israel be returned, and the government of Israel has agreed to do so."

May 16:

Islamic Jihad, the group holding four Americans and two Frenchmen hostage, released photographs of six captives and a statement addressed to families of the hostages. "For the last time," the statement said, "we wish to stress that all contact with your abducted relatives will be cut off and the consequences will be catastrophic if you do not act seriously and force your governments to intervene for the release (of) all our brothers in Kuwait." Islamic Jihad is seeking the release of 17 pro-Iranian Arabs who were convicted in Kuwait for involvement in bombings of the U.S. and French embassies in December, 1983.

May 16:

A statement by the Administration said the U.S. would not give in to threats by Islamic Jihad: "The United States will not allow itself to be intimidated by terrorist threats or permit such threats to compromise our fundamental policies and values."

May 17:

The Israeli government, and the owner of the Israeli company that imported the 800 American-made krytrons, both denied having foreknowledge of U.S. laws requiring a special license for the export of krytrons from the U.S. Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman Nachman Shai said Israel "purchased the krytrons without knowledge of any restrictions."

May 17:

A caller told Agence France-Presse in Beirut that the U.S. government should expect "the greatest military operation it has ever seen" because it refused to negotiate on the terms proposed by Islamic Jihad for the release of the American hostages. The caller said that "the refusal of our demands would mean hell for American diplomats across the world."