October/November 1995, pgs. 71-72

American Jews and Israel

By Nathan Jones

Rabin Government Attacks Oslo II Critics

Polls show a majority of American Jews continue to support implementation of the Oslo agreement, but its opponents claim opposition to the agreement is increasing. However, the scene outside the White House on Sept 28, while the Oslo II agreement was being signed inside by Palestinian National Authority President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, provided little support for the latter assertion. At most there were 400 demonstrators protesting the agreement, some wearing the yellow and black colors of followers of assassinated Arab-hater Rabbi Meir Kahane, and most of the men wearing the knitted caps of Orthodox Judaism. (Photos on inside back cover.)

The scene was a far cry from the chaos predicted by Joseph Frager, president of Lemaan Tzion, a New York group that supports the Jewish West Bank settler movement. He had boasted in an interview printed in the Washington Jewish Week of Sept. 7 that "I expect at least 10,000 people" will turn out to protest the agreement.

The relative calm may have been the result of a counter-offensive mounted in August and early September in the U.S. by the Rabin government. It had been alarmed by an all-out assault against land-for-peace agreements launched in June in Washington by Israel's opposition Likud party. Tactics had included a barrage of fax attacks sent by Likud leader Benyamin Netanyahu to members of the U.S. Congress, press conferences held by Israeli generals expressing security concerns that would result from an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, and visits to Capitol Hill by delegations of rabbis from both Israel and the United States.

Countermeasures supporting the peace negotiations included U.S. visits by other Israeli generals supporting the Oslo II agreement and newspaper advertisements. One dated Sept. 12 from the Israel Policy Forum, 666 Fifth Ave., 21st Floor, New York, NY 10103 proclaimed that "1,000 Rabbis Agree: the Peace Process Must Continue." Purporting to speak for rabbis from 47 states and the District of Columbia, it called on members of Congress to renew the Middle East Peace Facilitation Act (MEPFA), which enables the U.S. government "to assist the Palestinian Authority."

A Sept. 17 advertisement "coordinated by the American Zionist Movement" also supported MEPFA and proclaimed: "Mr. Prime Minister, as you continue the arduous journey to peace, know that American Jewry stands with the Government of Israel." The 29 Jewish organizations that signed this advertisement were the American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress, American Jewish League for Israel, Americans for Progressive Israel-Hashomer Hatzair, Americans for Peace Now, Anti- Defamation League, Association of Reform Zionists of America, B'nai B'rith, B'nai Zion, Federation of Reconstructionist Synagogues and Havurot, Givat Haviva Educational Foundation, Hadassah-The Women's Zionist Organizations of America, Israel Policy Forum, Jewish Labor Committee, Jewish Women International, Labor Zionist Alliance, MERCAZ-Zionist Organization of the Conservative Movement, Na'amat USA, National Committee for Labor Israel, National Council of Jewish Women, National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council, New Israel Fund, Project Nishma, The Abraham Fund, Union of American Hebrew Congregations, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Women's League for Conservative Judaism and the World Jewish Congress.

Still another advertisment in the name of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations was dated Sept. 22 and noted that it was "made possible in part by Max M. Fisher, Lester Pollack and other contributors." It affirmed that "we have always supported the efforts of the government of Israel to achieve peace with their neighbors" and was signed by the 46 groups that are members of the conference. Included in the long list, however, was at least one group, the Jewish Institute of National Security (JINSA), that has been accused of sponsoring speakers working against the Oslo II agreement.

The campaign in support of the Rabin government also was expressed via some highly personal attacks on American Jewish opponents of the Oslo II agreement. In an article printed in the Washington Jewish Week of Sept. 7, national director Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League explained his decision to leave the synagogue in which he had been a member for more than 20 years: "When the rabbi of my synagogue routinely spews hate and vitriol toward the elected leaders of the state of Israel, I cannot remain silent. When the values of civility and decency are abandoned, I cannot be deferential. When it is mandated by the congregational leader that there is only one set of 'authentic' Torah values, neither I nor my family can participate in this synagogue's life...

"As a survivor of the Holocaust, I believe it is an outrage to compare the experience of the Shoah to today's terrorism, and to cast Israeli government leaders as willful accessories in the shedding of Jewish blood...Remember, too, that in the recent past we deemed it 'anti-Semitic' when anyone compared Israeli policies in the territories with Nazi policies toward Jews... There was a time not so long ago when the comparison between Israeli policies in the territories and apartheid was considered unacceptable, bordering on antiSemitism...I can no longer pray in a synagogue with a spiritual leader who spouts such hate-filled rhetoric and who harbors such intolerance toward others who do not share his authoritarian Torah-view."

In an even stronger article in the same issue of the Washington Jewish Week, Israeli deputy counsul-general to the Midwest Chaim Schacham lashed out at American Jews who attack the Oslo agreement and accuse the Rabin goverment of "forsaking Israel." He wrote:

"Neither the government of Israel, nor the people of Israel who voted them into office, have forsaken the land of Israel. The people of Israel, who have chosen this government, have lived their lives in sacrifice for the sake of maintaining a Jewish state in this land...The government of Israel is trying to provide the best solution it can for the future survival of the people of Israel. Who, then, has forsaken this land of Israel? You have! More than any Israeli, you have voted the loudest and strongest for territorial compromise because you have remained in the United States...

"More than half of the world's Jews remain outside of Israel by preference. How can they then demand that the others—who have sacrificed so much already—sacrifice even more, and in the judgment of their chosen government risk their very existence in order to hold on to every inch of the Land, all in deference to those who don't even respect the land enough to live there? Pardon me, but even Israelis would consider that to be chutzpah..."

Conference of Presidents Split Over Monitoring Arafat

A videotape and purported transcript of a speech Yasser Arafat made last June 19 at Gaza's Al-Azhar University became the subject of a dispute among members of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The video was circulated to Jewish groups by the Zionist Organization of America, a right-wing group strongly opposed to Israeli concessions for peace.

In the speech Arafat repeatedly used the Arabic word "jihad," which literally means struggle or holy struggle, but which opponents of the peace process invariably translate as "holy war." In a telephone conference call among conference members to listen to an Aug. 7 briefing on the peace negotiations by Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Itamar Rabinovich, conference president Leon Levy suggested formation of a new committee to "report and monitor" speeches by Arafat and other Palestinian officials.

Conference executive vice chairman Malcolm Hoenlein said "there is no need for such a committee." Later Levy said his was an "off the cuff" suggestion and Hoenlein said they did not discuss the idea after the conference call because "it was dead as far as I was concerned." Interestingly, in the discussion the idea of a monitoring committee was supported by two conference members at opposite polls of U.S. Jewish opinion on the peace process. They were the Zionist Organization of America, which circulated the tape and transcript in the first place, and pro-negotiations Peace Now, which accepted the challenge to really listen to what Palestinians were saying, rather than accept rumors about their statements afterward.

Israeli Police Investigating Zo Artzeinu Leaders

Israeli police are investigating leaders of the right-wing Zo Artzeinu ("This is Our Land") organization, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The investigation followed the organization's coordination of an Aug. 8 protest in which right-wing demonstrators blocked roads throughout Israel during the evening rush hour.

"Freedom of expression is a basic right in a democratic regime, but public order is also a value that must be protected," said Attorney General Michael Ben-Yair in announcing the investigation. Zo Artzeinu leader Rabbi Benny Alon responded that the group had "nothing to hide."

Of more concern to Israelis was the remark by Knesset member Rehavam Ze'evi of the extreme right-wing Moledet party during a special Knesset session in early September that demonstrators had the right to fire back if fired upon by Israeli police.

"If they use gas against us, we will consider it live fire and respond accordingly," Ze'evi said. He added that if opposition parties assume power again, there would be a "blacklist" of police who had hit Jewish demonstrators.

Israeli police minister Moshe Shahal condemned Ze'evi's statements as "totally inappropriate," adding: "There is a kind of rebellion against law enforcers, to interfere with...fulfilling their duties. Environment minister Yossi Sarid said "these kinds of threats are exactly the sign of a totalitarian regime."

In another dispute, Likud party Knesset member Uzi Landau accused Israeli police of not wearing their name tags so that they can beat Jewish demonstrators without being identified. Knesset deputy Yitzhak Levy of the National Religious Party said he had photos and testimony showing that police officers had covered their name tags or falsely identified themselves while breaking up a Zo Artzeinu demonstration in late August.

Chairman Dedi Zucker of the pro-peace Meretz party, which is part of the Labor government coalition, said he would pass the information to Israel's attorney general.

Nathan Jones writes on political affairs from Washington, DC.