Washington Report, August 27, 1984, Page 6

Excerpts from the Republican Party Platform on the Middle East

Following are excerpts from the Middle East plank of the 1984 Republican Party platform as adopted in Dallas on August 21.

The Republican Party

Republicans reaffirm that the United States should not recognize or negotiate with the PLO so long as that organization continues to promote terrorism, rejects Israel's right to exist and refuses to accept U.N. resolutions 242 and 338.

Israel's strength, coupled with United States assistance, is the main obstacle to Soviet domination in the region. The sovereignty, security, and integrity of the State of Israel is a moral imperative. We pledge to help maintain Israel's qualitative military edge over its adversaries.

Today, relations between the United States and Israel are closer than ever before. Under President Reagan, we have moved beyond mere words to extensive political, military and diplomatic cooperation. U.S.-Israeli strategic planning groups are coordinating our joint defense efforts, and we are directly supporting projects to augment Israel's defense industrial base. We on the Middle East support the legislation pending for an Israeli-U.S. free trade area.

We recognize that attacks in the U.N. against Israel are but thinly disguised attacks against the United States, for it is our sharedideals and democratic way of life that is their true target. Thus, when a U.N. agency denied Israel's right to participate, we withheld our financial support until that action was corrected. And we have worked behind the scenes and in public in other international organizations to defeat discriminatory attacks against our ally.

Our determination to participate actively in the peace process, begun at Camp David, has won us support over the past four years from moderate Arab states. Israel's partner in the Camp David accords, Egypt, with American support, has been a constructive force for stability. We pledge continued support to Egypt and other moderate regimes against Soviet and Libyan subversion, and we look to them to contribute to our efforts for a long-term settlement of the region's destructive dispute.

We believe that Jerusalem should remain an undivided city with free and unimpeded access to all the holy places by people of all faiths.