Focus on Jews and Israel

By Andrea Barron

American Jewish Congress Supports Peace Conference

The 45,000-member American Jewish Congress has taken the controversial step of endorsing an international peace conference on the Middle East, a position which differs from official Israeli policy. Israel's National Unity Government is split on the question—Foreign Minister Shimon Peres of the Labor Party supports the convening of an international conference and Prime Minister Shamir of the right-wing Likud Bloc rejects it. The AJCongress said it was both "necessary and appropriate" to assume this position in order to break the current stalemate in the Mideast peace process. The organization is concerned that if Israel holds on to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip—populated by 1.5 million Palestinians—by the year 2000 it will have to choose between two unacceptable alternatives: becoming either "a non-Jewish state or a non-democratic state."

The AJCongress called on other Jewish groups to follow in its footsteps by supporting the conference. But the response from Morris Abram, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (to which the AJCongress belongs) was that Israelis must make such decisions themselves through their democratic process.

By publicly "taking sides" in the current national debate in Israel over the future of the occupied territories, the AJCongress has broken a cardinal "rule" that has governed relations between Israel and the American Jewish community. The "rule" was articulated clearly in January 1967 by Dr. Emmanuel Neumann, once known as the "dean of American Zionists," to repudiate a statement made by Jacques Torczyner, then president of the Zionist Organization of America. (Torczyner had criticized a raid carried out by Israel on the Jordanian town of As-Samu in November 1966.) The "rule" was that "Israel's military and defense matters are beyond discussion at all times" and that American Jews should "avoid personal reflection on, and certainly denigration of people at the head of the Israeli government."

Not unexpectedly, Shamir denounced the AJCongress for its statement on the peace conference, and he called it a "peanut-sized organization" which had no right interfering in internal Israeli affairs. Peres, on the other hand, appeared to welcome the statement and said he would be surprised if Jews were suddenly to become "neutral on the issue of peace." Israel's most respected newspaper, Ha'aretz, said US Jews should be able to express their opinions on Israeli policy, and it pointed out that Shamir had never told American Jews who support his vision of a "Greater Israel" to stay out of Israeli politics.

The AJCongress may have taken a brave step in supporting an international peace conference. But like Peres, Shamir, and all other mainstream Jewish organizations, it is determined to exclude the PLO from any peace negotiations at all. In fact, the AJCongress took the lead in lobbying for passage of the so-called "Anti-Terrorism Act of 1987," sponsored by presidential candidates Bob Dole (R-KS) in the Senate and Jack Kemp (R-NY) in the House. It has, for instance, argued that the Senate bill is a "powerful incentive for the PLO to abide by its renunciation of terrorism," and that the legislation is a way for Congress to "deal with legitimate foreign policy concerns" such as "combating terrorism."

Prominent American Jews Endorse Call for Peace

Over 100 prominent American Jews—including rabbis, Jewish communal leaders, intellectuals, and celebrities—have joined former Israeli UN Ambassador Abba Eban and Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kolleck in calling for a Middle East "peace of mutual recognition, based on territorial compromise and self-determination." The statement, drafted by the Tel Aviv-based International Center for Peace in the Middle East, says such a peace is necessary to "guarantee the security of Israel, the realization of Palestinian aspirations, and regional stability."

The statement does not explicitly endorse the principle of Palestinian self-determination. But, according to Leonard Fein, a member of the center's board of trustees, it supports secure borders for Israel and the right of the Palestinians to decide if they want their own state or association with Jordan. (Fein is a former professor at Brandeis University and the founder of the progressive Jewish monthly magazine Moment.)

Among the American Jews who signed the statement were Rabbi Alexander Schindler of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, which represents over one million Reform Jews; Harry Siegman, head of the American Jewish Committee; and Theodore Mann, president of the American Jewish Congress. (These men signed as individuals, not as leaders of their respective organizations.) Other signatories included Harvard University professors Nathan Glazer, David Riesman, and Herbert Kelman. The "call for peace" was also endorsed by feminists Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem and by actors Richard Dreyfuss, and Paul Newman. Newman played the Israeli hero Ari Ben Canaan in the movie version of Exodus, the 1958 bestseller written by Leon Uris, which helped shape the views still held by many Americans—both Jews and non-Jews—on the birth of Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Andrea Barron, a PhD candidate in international relations at the American University in Washington, DC, is a member of Washington Area Jews for an Israeli-Palestinian Peace (WAJIPP) and New Jewish Agenda (NJA).

Focus on Arabs and Islam

By John P. Egan

NAAA Worked Behind the Scenes on Saudi Arms Sale

The National Association of Arab-Americans (NAAA) worked quietly to help forge the recent compromise on the proposed arms sale to Saudi Arabia. When the White House was initially confronted with a letter signed by 64 US senators urging President Reagan not to sell the proposed arms package to Saudi Arabia, NAAA met with senators and White House officials to stress Saudi Arabia's security concerns and its need for the weapons.

NAAA also alerted newspaper editors to these issues, and as a result, the Chicago Tribune reprinted part of an NAAA Voice editorial, which urged legislators to "keep an open mind" until the administration had made its case for the sale. In addition, a Chicago Tribune editorial said the US should support Saudi Arabia for the same reason it supports Israel: "Because we have crucial common interests that we can advance by working together."

NAAA staffers have also noted that roughly 60,000 American citizens presently work in the Gulf, which means that the decision on the arms sale would have an impact on the lives of those US citizens working abroad. In a compromise worked out between key pro-Israel senators and the White House, the senators vowed to support the sale of 12 F-15 replacement fighter-jets, 93 artillery ammunition carriers, and upgrade packages for Saudi Arabia's M-60 tanks and F-15 jets. In return, the Reagan administration dropped the sale of 1,600 Maverick anti-tank missiles to Saudi Arabia and the proposed sale of 1,000 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Bahrain.

Working in tandem with the Council of Presidents of National Arab-American Organizations, NAAA has also been actively opposing the closure of the Palestine Information Office in Washington, DC. Meeting shortly after the State Department's September 15th decision to close the PIO, the NAAA board of directors issued a statement which "condemned" the "regrettable and ill-considered move." The statement said that "Arab Americans abhor terrorism and call on the United States government to undertake a concerted effort to end all conditions which promote violence in the Middle East," foremost of which is the continuing statelessness of the Palestinians.

At an October 15 press conference at Washington's Grand Hotel, Bethlehem Mayor Elias Freij criticized the closure of the PIO and said the US must talk to the PLO, which represents the Palestinian people. Freij also said the US must do more in the search for peace, and that the time has come to press Israel to accept the proposed international conference as the way to resolve the Arab-Israeli dispute. NAAA officials continue to meet with senators and congressmen to urge that they oppose the pending amendment by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), which would close the PLO's Observer Mission at the United Nations as well as the PIO in Washington, DC.

Palestinian Information Center Opens in Seattle

A press conference was held October 7 in Seattle to announce the opening of the Seattle Center for Palestinian Information. The new group, which includes Arab-American, Jewish, human rights, and non-violence activists, is united by its opposition to the State Department's closure of the Washington, DC-based Palestine Information Office as well as the pending congressional bills mandating the closure of the PLO's Observer Mission at the United Nations. The group does not seek to speak for the PLO, which it believes is the only organization that represents the Palestinian people. However, the group will work to ensure that materials and information from the Palestinian perspective remain available in the Seattle area and the Pacific Northwest. For more information contact Jackie Wolf at PO Box 85289, Seattle, WA 98145.

AbiNader New President of US-Arab Chamber of Commerce

Jean AbiNader is the newly-elected president of the US-Arab Chamber of Commerce. AbiNader said that his first efforts will be to unify the different regional US-Arab chambers of commerce and increase the group's membership. After that, AbiNader said, the Chamber will embark on a centralized programming, publications, and government relations program so as to enhance the Chamber's role in trade issues between the US and the Arab world. The Chamber's address is 16251 I Street, NW, Suite 902, Washington, DC 20006.

ADC Active in Outreach; Abourezk on Book Tour

James G. Abourezk, national chairman of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), and Hyman Bookbinder, special Washington representative of the American Jewish Committee, co-authors of the recently-published Through Different Eyes, began a six-month national book tour September 22 as guests of the Northwest Indiana World Affairs Council. Through Different Eyes, published in September by Adler and Adler and introduced by former New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief David K. Shipler, is an extended debate between Abourezk and Bookbinder on the recent direction of US Middle East policy. In October, Abourezk and Bookbinder also spoke under World Affairs Council sponsorship in Dallas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. The two authors are scheduled to continue their speaking tour through February 1988, and will visit Houston, New York, St. Louis, Detroit, Baltimore, Ottawa, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Boston between November and February 1988.

ADC has reprinted from the Detroit Free Press two lengthy articles by Tom Hundley which outline the harassment of Arab-Americans in the Detroit area as well as the rise in anti-Arab sentiment throughout the US in recent years. The special report, entitled "The American Press Looks at Arab Americans," is available from ADC's national office in Washington, DC.

The report's introduction praises Hundley's articles as "a true landmark event in reporting on the lives and struggles of persons of Arab descent in this country." The introduction, noting that there was a story behind the story, also described how Detroit ADC activists "persisted in their efforts at cultivating the local media until they saw their efforts rewarded in a most gratifying way." The report was mailed to major American newspapers and entertainment critics to stimulate similar stories on Arab Americans.

Carrying signs which read, "With Friends Like Israel, Who Needs Enemies?" demonstrators organized by ADC, including NAAA Executive Director David Saad and some members of his staff, gathered October 19 at the site of a gala benefit dinner honoring "Forty Years of US-Israeli Friendship," held in Washington, DC. Former Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, the architect of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, was the dinner's guest speaker. The demonstrators, estimated by ADC President Abdeen Jabara at more than 100, pointed out that the US-Israeli "friendship" has been predominately a one-way street, and has included Israeli theft of top secret US intelligence documents, Israeli theft of nuclear weapons-grade material, Israel's attack on the USS Liberty in 1967, Israel's sale of arms to Iran, and Israel's dependence on US economic and military grant-aid.

Middle East Institute Holds 41st Annual Conference

More than 500 people attended the Middle East Institute's (MEI) 41st annual conference on October 16-17 in Washington, DC. Entitled "Shaping the Future: Forces of Change in the Middle East," the conference included panels on urbanization, the growth of religious revivalism, ethnicity, and students and youth. In his banquet address before roughly 300 people, Robert Oakley, director of the National Security Council's Middle East staff, summarized the Reagan administration's overall Middle East Policy. In his endnote speech, Christopher Von Hollen, MEI senior fellow, noted some common challenges facing the non-oil producing Arab states, and urged US policymakers to take these issues into account when formulating US Middle East policy.

UPA Reports Modest Success in Two New Campaigns

Two new campaigns by the United Palestinian Appeal (UPA), a non-profit, non-partisan American charitable organization, have had encouraging initial results, reports UPA Director Bishara Bahbah. Working with 20 charitable organizations in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, UPA's Child Sponsorship Program identified roughly 1,200 particularly needy Palestinian children and sought US sponsors for them at $25 per month. To date, UPA has located roughly 200 US sponsors, leaving nearly 1,000 children still in need of sponsorship. UPA issues reports every six months to the sponsors, and the sponsors are encouraged to visit the children in the occupied territories. Some of the charities UPA is working with include the Bethlehem Arab Society for the Handicapped and the Islamic Orphanage of Jerusalem.

UPA's other long-term program, the Palestinian Children's Fund, raises funds to support programs in nutrition, health care, education, and the care of handicapped children. Bahbah notes that the mix of contributors to this program has been roughly 40 percent Arab-American and 60 percent non-Arab-American, indicating a support that goes beyond the immediate Arab-American community. For more information contact the UPA at 2100 M St., NW, Suite 409, Washington, DC 20037, or call (202) 659-5007.

15,000 Attend United American Muslim Parade

More than 15,000 people turned out for New York City's second annual United American Muslim parade. Marchers in the Sept. 27 event represented some 30 Islamic organizations, mosques, and businesses. Floats depicted both the ethnic diversity of Islam and the unity symbolized by religious shrines revered by all Muslims in Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. Imam Warith Deen Muhammad, the parade's grand marshall, addressed the participants on the Muslim goals of excellence as human beings, as family members, as Americans, and as supporters of social and environmental improvement. Other speakers included Abdeen Jabara, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), who described ADC's emphasis on Muslim participation in civic and political affairs, and Dr. Mohammad Mehdi of the National Council on Islamic Affairs, who stressed the importance of voter registration. The parade and list of speakers continued a tradition in the tri-state Connecticut, New Jersey, New York area with participation of Christian, Jewish, and Sikh clergy in such Muslim events.

AAI Co-Sponsors Meeting with PLO Officials in New York

Dr. James Zogby, executive director of the American-Arab Institute (AAI) and Gail Pressberg, executive director of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, organized an October 6 meeting in New York between four high-ranking PLO officials and 20 Americans, including clergy, lawyers, civil libertarians, and representatives of political organizations. Undertaken as a first step in building a broad-based US commission to promote a US-PLO dialogue, the group met for two hours with Farouk Qaddoumi, head of the PLO's foreign affairs bureau; Muhammad Milhem, a member of the PLO Executive Committee; and Nasser Al-Qudwa, the PLO's alternate observer at the United Nations. Dr. Phillipa Strum, vice president of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said of the decision to close the Palestine Information Office in Washington, DC, that "it is outrageous for the US administration...to assume that Americans are too stupid to understand and evaluate ideas."

John P. Egan is managing editor of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.