Washington Report, November 14, 1983, Page 5

Lobby Activities

For Arabs:

Grassroots efforts have been launched in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Berkeley, California to place on their city election ballots in the spring a resolution calling for a cutback in U.S. economic aid to Israel—by a sum that would be equal to the amount Israel spends each year in the occupied Arab territories. If approved by voters, letters urging an aid outback would be sent by city officials to President Reagan, Secretary of State George Shultz, the two Senators from each state, as well as to the Congressmen from their respective districts.

The Ann Arbor drive is being led by a group calling itself "People for the Reassessment of Aid to Israel (PRAI)." Executive Director Irene Rasmussen said that volunteers have been circulating petitions since September 15 and that just over 2,500 voters had signed as of November 1. The group's goal is to obtain 5,000 signatures by the middle of December and to present them to the city council, The council would not then be legally bound to put the measure on the April ballot, but Ms. Rasmussen expressed confidence that it would. Specifically, the resolution calls for aid to be withheld by an amount equivalent to what Israel spends "to retain, settle and administer the Arab territories occupied in and after 1967." According to Ms. Rasmussen, the territories include the part of Lebanon now under Israeli control. Israel spends approximately $300 million each year in the West Bank alone, according to some estimates.

The other group in Berkeley, waging an almost identical campaign, is "Taxpayers for Peace in the Middle East," which has obtained roughly 2,000 signatures since October 8. The group hopes to collect at least 3,000 signatures on a similar petition which in this case would require city officials to place the resolution on a June ballot. According to a founder of the group, Masao Miyoshi, their efforts have not been connected in any way with PRAI in Ann Arbor.

On another issue, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has charged that the campaign tactics of both the newly-elected mayor of Philadelphia, W. Wilson Goode, and his Republican opponent, John J. Egan, Jr., discriminated against Arab Americans and, in effect, excluded those in Philadelphia from participating in the campaign during its closing days.

The charges stem from a fundraising reception held for Mr. Goode on October 14 by Nairn Ayoub, an Arab American who coordinates ADC activities in Philadelphia. Mr. Goode collected checks totaling $2,725 from the 40 people in attendance, many of whom were Americans of Arab descent. The next day, however, Mr. Goode announced that he was returning the checks after learning of Mr. Ayoub's affiliation with ADC. Mr. Goode, in returning the campaign contributions, said: "I want to make certain that no one is able to question my support for the State of Israel."

ADC officials charge that Mr. Egan then tried to enhance his own election prospects by attempting to discredit Goode on the grounds he had met with Arab Americans, citing as an example a quote by Mr. Egan in the Philadelphia Enquirer: "He (Goode) says he didn't know that Nairn Ayoub was an Arab. Did he think he was Irish-Catholic?" ADC executive director James Zogby wrote in an Op-Ed story in that same newspaper that, "Both Egan and Goode have, in effect, hung a 'No Arab-Americans allowed' sign on Philadelphia's political process. Not only have Arab-Americans been written out of Philadelphia's political life, but we have also been politically 'tarred and feathered."'

For Israel:

A new political action committee (PAC) has been formed to funnel campaign dollars to congressional candidates friendly to Israel.

Going by the name of Capital PAC, or CAPPAC, the new organization was founded in Washington, D.C. and held its first meeting in early November. The group says it is "dedicated to strengthening American support for the State of Israel" and will contribute to candidates who: "support economic and military aid to Israel; recognize Israel's strategic value to the United States; demonstrate a moral commitment to the survival of Israel; and are committed to ensuring the security of Israel."

Organizers are hoping to attract "young professionals" in the Washington area who are between the ages of 20 and 40, according to CAPPAC chairman Philip Friedman. He said that the 1984 elections, which are one year away, are "critical" and that it is "vital that we help our friends who are committed to the importance of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship either to be elected or stay in office."

During the 1982 congressional elections, 33 "pro-Israel" PACs contributed a total of $1.87 million to 268 favored candidates, according to Federal Election Commission data compiled by the Mideast Observer. National PAC, the most well-financed of these PACs, alone gave just over a half million dollars to more than 100 sympathetic candidates. For the other side, only one "pro-Arab" PAC, Americans for Lebanon Political Action Committee (ALPAC), gave funds to candidates in last year's elections—funds totaling only $5,500.