Washington Report, August 23, 1982, Page 5

Lobby Activities

For Arabs:

The National Association of Arab Americans (NAAA) has sent out over 100,000 pieces of mail to the American public since the start of Israel's invasion of Lebanon last June 6. The mailings, whether in the form of petitions, pre-addressed postcards to be mailed to Congressmen, or requests for donations—are all part of an ongoing effort to bring about Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon.

NAAA's 15 full-time staffers are being helped by 45 key volunteers living in the Washington area—including both members of NAAA and nonmembers—who have been on Capitol Hill lobbying Congress and conducting two polls. The first poll asks Congressmen whether their constituents generally approve or disapprove of the invasion, while the second was described by Ronald Cathell, Communications Director for NAAA, as a "rather extensive and comprehensive" survey designed to assess the "pulse of Congress" on Middle East issues in general.

Meanwhile, other Arab-American groups have been sponsoring events to protest Israel's presence in Lebanon. The Palestine Congress of North America, an umbrella organization composed of over 50 Palestinian -American groups in the U.S. and Canada, sponsored a march in Washington which started at the Capitol and ended with a rally near the White House. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, in an effort to confirm its accounts of death and destruction in Lebanon, sponsored presentations in Washington by Rep. Mary Rose Oakar (D-Ohio) and Rep. Nick Rahall (D-West Virginia). Both spoke of the devastation and human suffering they witnessed first hand during a visit to Lebanon in July.

Members of a new, loosely-knit group calling itself "Women For Peace in the Middle East" began fasting one night each week on an individual basis. The fasting will continue, they say, until a Middle East settlement is reached which addresses what they believe is the main issue: the establishment of a homeland for the Palestinians.

For Israel:

The major American Jewish organizations have followed the lead of the Israeli government in trying to discredit large segments of the American media for its coverage of the war in Lebanon. They are charging the media, particularly television news casting, with reporting that is biased and unfair to Israel.

"Unlike any other confrontation involving Israel in the Middle East, we don't perceive media coverage in this war to be the least bit accurate," said Marc Breslaw, Communications Director of the United Jewish Appeal in Washington.

A recent article in The New Republic magazine which attempts to make the case of biased reporting was distributed to each member of Congress by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Several thousand copies were also distributed in the Washington area by the Jewish Community Council of Greater Washington.

Other Jewish organizations in the U.S. are also concerned over the role they believe the media is playing in eroding public support for Israel. The Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith has contracted David Garth, a political campaign strategist, to monitor network television coverage of the war.

To bolster their claims of media inaccuracies, American Jewish groups are sponsoring tours of southern Lebanon for small groups of influential and often sympathetic Americans. Several U.S. generals recently returned from a tour that was sponsored and financed by the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith.