Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, October 1996, pgs. 76-79

California Chronicle

U.S. Justice Department Offers $1 Million Reward for Odeh Murderers

by Pat and Samir Twair

“Why now?” was the question posed to U.S. Justice Department representatives at an Aug. 27 press conference announcing a $1 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of persons responsible for the 1985 bombing murder of American-Arab Anti-Discrimination leader Alex Odeh. Official announcement of the reward was made in front of the Santa Ana Main Library where a life-size statue of Odeh was erected in 1994.

Charlie J. Parsons, who heads the Los Angeles FBI office, explained that the huge reward—comparable to that offered for the Unabomber, the perpetrators of the PanAm 103 bombing and for Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, accused mastermind of the World Trade Center bombing was made possible by anti- terrorism legislation passed in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing. “We needed a break in this case,” Parsons stated. “We listened to our agents and they said we needed a big reward in order to get someone to come forward. Alex Odeh was a public figure. This isn’t an ordinary homicide, it is an assassination as opposed to a drive-by shooting.”

“The bombing murder of Mr. Odeh was a cowardly, heinous act,” stated Nora Manella, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. “Our investigation will continue until those responsible for Mr. Odeh’s death are brought to justice.”

Parsons also praised the Santa Ana police, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and terrorism task force for continuing the investigation over the years.

As the conference was opened to questions from the audience, harsh shouts of “Why don’t you issue a reward for the murderer Yasser Arafat?” and “Get rid of the terrorist Odeh’s statue and replace it with Nixon’s” startled the somber group of about 35 people. The seated spectators turned to look at five or six screaming people in T-shirts and sandals accusing the government of misusing taxpayers’ money for unsolved bombing cases.

Norma Odeh, the widow of the slain ADC regional director, and her daughter, Helena, were moved to tears at the onslaught of hateful epithets. For the first time, they were seeing and hearing the bigoted and racist mentality responsible for the death of their husband and father. “I’m grateful to the FBI for making this happen after 11 years,” Mrs. Odeh stated.

It was a surrealistic scene. The temperature was well over 90 degrees. Odeh’s widow had taken shelter in a corner of the library entrance, while unsmiling police and government employees in suits and sunglasses observed Jewish Defense League members. The latter were noisily posturing in front of TV cameras, shouting that Alex Odeh was killed by Arab enemies or a leaking gas pipe that might have exploded. When the Washington Report asked Parsons why grey-haired, pot-bellied Jewish thugs were permitted to behave like pre-schoolers having a tantrum, hurling insults at the FBI and disrupting a public event, he replied: “It’s their First Amendment right. They couldn’t do this in a lot of countries.”

Odeh’s brother, Sami, stated: “We’ve never lost hope Alex’s killers would have to face justice. Terrorists must be made to pay for their acts no matter who they are or where they live.”

Odeh was killed just blocks from the site where his statue stands today. A pipe bomb exploded as he walked into his ADC office in Santa Ana at 9 a.m. Oct. 11, 1985. Several others were injured in the blast that caused massive damage to the building.

“It’s an open case, we’re looking at several suspects,” Parsons concluded. “We’re not there yet. If we had conclusive evidence and were ready to indict someone, we wouldn’t be announcing this reward. The number is (800) 705-6639 if you want to come forward.”

Arab Americans at GOP Convention

Arab Americans definitely made their presence known at the national Republican convention in San Diego. Festivities were kicked off Aug. 12 with a cruise aboard “The Good News 4" for John Sununu Jr., who is running for Congress in New Hampshire. John Sununu Sr., co-anchor on CNN’s “Crossfire,” a four-time governor of New Hampshire and former White House chief of staff, was on board along with Lamar Alexander, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, Orange County Republican Chairman Tom Fuentes, and Adm. Robert M. Garrick (Ret.) to name a few.

Republicans really knew the Arabs were in town Aug. 13 when more than 1,200 delegates and friends visited a reception in the Chrysler Exhibit, entitled “Arab American Tribute to the Republican National Convention.” Red, white and blue bunting decorated the main stage where renowned Arab musician Simon Shaheen and his Near Eastern Music Ensemble performed for more than two hours. Even the most jaded politicos stopped chatting to watch Egyptian Dervish dancer Hosni Shahata twirl and spin. A special guest was Senator Spencer Abraham. John Sununu Jr. and Sr. spoke, as did Arab American Institute co-founders Dr. James Zogby and George R. Salem.

Displays of Moroccan furniture were arranged by Mrs. Charles G. Abdeinour, who co-chaired the San Diego host committee with her husband. Exhibits by Arab-American artists also were on view and a good time was had by all including a 1990s Abraham Lincoln who strolled through the massive hall in his stovepipe hat and dark suit at the AAI-sponsored event.

The American Muslim Alliance also provided a separate hospitality room at the convention, staffed at all times not only by AMA leaders but also by members of other like-minded national Muslim organizations.

Saudi Ambassador Leaves for Mexico

Arab gatherings are famous for their hospitality and warmth, but the farewell dinner for Saudi Arabian Ambassador Hassan T. Nazer, consul general in Los Angeles, and his wife, Amal, was particularly emotional as more than 200 members of the Los Angeles Arab-American community expressed their feelings of friendship and appreciation to the dedicated couple. Former Saudi Minister of Petroleum Dr. Hisham Nazer and his wife, Amira, were on hand for the dinner hosted by Fadl and Naheel Olayan in Al Amir Restaurant.

The Nazers arrived in Los Angeles in July 1990 when he was appointed consul general. Midway through his assignment his personal rank was upgraded to ambassador. His next post will be as Saudi ambassador to Mexico.

Master of ceremonies Suad Cano stressed the respected role played by Ambassador Nazer in the Los Angeles diplomatic corps, and his genuine interest in all members of the Arab-American community. Dr. Ray Irani, chairman and CEO of Occidental Petroleum Corporation, thanked the ambassador and hastened to add that Mrs. Nazer has made numerous efforts over the years to promote Arab cultural events in Los Angeles (see story on p. 79). This was reiterated by Cano, who presented Mrs. Nazer with a plaque acknowledging her contributions to the betterment of the community.

Commented the ambassador: “I knew it would be difficult when I arrived in Los Angeles in July 1990, but the Arab-American community here made it much easier.”

L.A. Mayor Riordan’s Brief Courtship of Muslim Voters

It was an historic occasion July 21 at the Islamic Center of Southern California when Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan made his first official visit to a mosque. Uppermost on everyone’s mind was the mayor’s Aug. 29 visit to Jerusalem.

The mayor explained he had invited Catholic, Jewish, Muslim and Protestant clergy to accompany him on the trip. On the flight, he said, would be the Islamic Center’s spokesman, Dr. Maher Hathout. Noting that he himself is a Roman Catholic, the mayor said Jerusalem truly is a multi-religious city that is dear to Orthodox, Protestant and Catholic Christians as well as to Muslims and Jews.

“We have seen too many [ethnic] communities that have been excluded from the political table,” the mayor said. “The Islamic community should be included.”

Mayor Riordan evinced genuine pleasure when the children’s choir welcomed him with a song. Later, he remarked to reporters that children such as these, growing up in stable families that care about moral training and education, will have the tools to be strong adult members of their society. “They are lucky,” he commented.

The mayor graciously took the time from his Sunday afternoon schedule to hug youngsters while their parents took photos. “The Muslim community has some of the most brilliant, charitable people I’ve met, and I’d like to advise Bill Clinton and Bob Dole to make use of their abilities around the country,” Riordan said.

The mayor’s visit was arranged by his press aide, Nellie Abdullah, a first-generation Egyptian-American. “Mayor Riordan later told me his visit to the center was one of the warmest meetings he has had,” stated Abdullah, who graduated in political science from UCLA in 1994. Since then, she has had an internship in media affairs at the White House and an internship last summer with Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD). Her Washington experience enabled her to come to the assistance of Oklahoma City Muslims following the bombing of the federal building there. She managed to get a call through to the Oklahoma governor’s office and, by the time Middle Easterners in Oklahoma began receiving threats, the governor’s office had alerted and was in touch with the Muslim community.

End of the Riordan-Muslim Honeymoon

Unfortunately, Nellie Abdullah left the mayor’s office Aug. 1. Our repeated requests for a list of the people accompanying Mayor Riordan on his trip were unsuccessful for nearly three weeks. On Aug. 23, just six days before his publicized Aug. 29 departure for Jerusalem, we informed the mayor’s aides that if the list was not forthcoming, we would state in the WRMEA that the list was refused to us. Within minutes, we were put through to the mayor’s assistant, Steve Sugerman, who expressed surprise the list of delegates had not been sent despite four different requests—which, by the way, had been followed up each time by phone calls from the mayor’s office asking the name of the publication wanting the list.

By that time the Islamic Center’s Dr. Maher Hathout had withdrawn from the trip. In a letter to the mayor, Dr. Hathout explained:

“I feel privileged and honored to be invited as part of the delegation to visit Jerusalem. This trip is important because Jerusalem is dear and special to Muslims, Christians and Jews and because the handling of the present dispute over the status of the Holy City is not what we consider responsible or conducive to peace and harmony in the area.

“This sad situation was further aggravated by the talk of Mr. Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, in the U.S. Congress last week. In that speech, Mr. Netanyahu unilaterally nullified all agreements sponsored by the United States, whereby he announced Jerusalem as a non-negotiable issue in the peace process and as the undisputed capital of Israel. For that surprising revisionist announcement, the prime minister received a standing ovation by the leaders of Capitol Hill. Under these circumstances, I will not find it appropriate for me as an American Muslim to visit the dear and blessed city.”

When, six days before the mayor’s departure, we received the list of delegates accompanying him, the other proclaimed ecumenical aspects seemed largely to have vanished. Those listed were Rabbi Abraham Cooper (Simon Wiesenthal Center), Nancy Daly, Marshall Ezralow, John Fishel, Herb Gelfand, Jeff Glassman, Rabbi Gary Greenebaum, Genethia Hayes, Joseph Hicks, Bruce and Janet Karatz, Robin Kramer, David Lehrer (Anti-Defamation League of B’nai Brith), Francis Maas, Frank Moran, Bruce Ramer, Andrea Rich, Sharyn Romano, William Rosendahl, Carol Rowen, Cheryl and Haim and Virginia Saban, Patti and Steve Soboroff, Steve Sugerman, Donna Tuttle, the Hon. Kim Wardlaw and Peter Woo.

The mayor’s itinerary: Sept. 2: tour of the Knesset, visit to Rabin gravesite, tour of the city, reception by Mayor Olmert (a Likud Party member). Sept. 3: Holocaust memorial, meet Israeli president and prime minister, Palestinian Authority (with no name listed), reception for Angelenos now living in Israel. Sept. 4: Educational and cultural tours, leave for Tel Aviv, meeting with Shimon Peres, dinner with mayor of Tel Aviv. Sept. 5: Business leader breakfast, urban development tour, Diaspora Museum, dinner with U.S. Ambassador (former American Israel Public Af- fairs Committee [AIPAC] official Martin Indyk). Sept. 6: Sightseeing, Los Angeles/Tel Aviv Eco- nomic Pact. Sept. 7: tour of holy sites around Sea of Galilee/Golan Heights. Sept. 8: High-technology tour.

With the countdown approaching, we contacted National Association of Arab Americans President Khalil Jahshan. He said he could contact the PNA and mayors of Palestinian cities and arrange for visits if Mayor Riordan was indeed interested in such meet- ings. Aware of the difficulty of getting through to the mayor personally, we accepted defeat.

On Aug. 27, however, a group of Arab Americans did meet with the mayor, presented articles to him and asked him to be careful on making statements about Jerusalem or the Golan Heights. However, they did not ask the mayor whether he would be willing to meet Palestinian mayors on the West Bank or in the Galilee.

Jahshan then stated: “It is disappointing to learn on the eve of the Los Angeles mayor’s departure that we missed another chance to show both sides of the issue to an American official. We would have liked to contribute by arranging special meetings both inside Palestine and Israel with Palestinian mayors. Unfortunately, members of our community who have been in touch with Mayor Riordan’s office did not inform us of who was going on his trip and the need to arrange meetings with Palestinian leaders.”

In closing, Jahshan urged Arab Americans who become aware of travel plans to the Middle East by their mayor, congressman or senator to coordinate with all Arab-American organizations and make a united effort to work together to avoid the kind of lost opportunity that occurred in Los Angeles.

Birzeitis Converge in Anaheim

Every two years, Palestinians whose origins are in the West Bank town of Birzeit gather for a convention that keeps alive their attachment to the land, the culture and the traditions of which they are so proud. Chairman of this year’s Birzeit Society convention was Samir Khoury, who welcomed more than 1,150 delegates from as far away as Sydney, Australia and London, England to the Anaheim Mariott Hotel. Keynote speakers at the grand banquet were Jordan’s sole woman member of parliament, Toujan Faisal, and the Palestinian Authority’s first minister of agriculture, Abdel Jawad Saleh.

A journalist and champion of women’s rights, Faisal explained in an interview with the Washington Report that she is one of 22 opposition members in the 80-seat Jordanian parliament. The 22 include 17 Islamists, four leftists and herself, a liberal independent.

Extremely critical of the Jordanian parliament for approving a peace treaty with Israel, Toukan noted that “The speaker of the House boasted that the people passed the treaty. I believe this is one of the biggest lies in our history, because the people would never have condoned the treaty.”

Another “crime” she attributed to the parliament was lifting the embargo on Israel “while Arab land is still under occupation.”

“Oslo was negotiated too fast,” she said. “We [the opposition] asked for a peace settlement, but one with a minimum of justice. Syria is the only state rejecting this speedy process in which all the Arab countries are blindly running toward normalization.”

Is she fearful of repercussions for criticizing the monarchy? “No, not really,” she said, “although Leith Shbeilat, who headed the engineers’ union, has been jailed for his objections to government moves.”

Under the Likud government, Faisal predicts, Israel’s true motives will be exposed without the sugar-coated Labor facade.

“I am not keen on concluding the Arab-Israeli conflict until the Palestinian issue is solved. It is like a cancer and unless the disease is acknowledged and treated, it will keep growing. The Palestinians must have a homeland. We aren’t in a hurry, we are at home. The Israelis aren’t. That’s why they’re in such a hurry for normalization.”

What does she think of Yasser Arafat?

“I’m disappointed with his military courts. If a better leader should come along, he [Arafat] should be willing to step down for the betterment of his people.”

Faisal, who inherited her brown hair from her Circassian forbears, says her political message has been well received in speaking engagements in the Gulf.

She pledges to continue to speak out because “I don’t want to leave my children in such a world as we have today.”

A more measured approach was taken by Saleh, who was born in al-Bireh. A Palestinian nationalist, he was expelled from the West Bank by the Israelis in the early 1970s and subsequently served on the Palestine National Council.

The veteran statesman, who now serves as the first minister of agriculture for the Palestinian National Authority, explained that land is the most important thing to Palestinians.

Turning to the future, he said: “It is the children of the intifada who defied the Israeli army who will build the Palestinian state.”

During the question-and-answer session, Faisal was asked if she prefers a direct vote for the prime minister rather than having the prime minister appointed by the king.

“Of course,” she replied. “It’s what I’ve called for for years and I intend to become prime minister.”

The 1998 Birzeit Society Convention is slated to take place in Birzeit, Palestine.