December/January 1992/93, Page 69

Arab American Activism

By Catherine M. Willford

Arab-American Leaders Call for Continuity in U.S. Policy

Leaders of several prominent Arab-American and Middle East policy organizations shared recommendations for the incoming Clinton administration during a Nov. 20 policy forum at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

Executive Director Dr. James Zogby of the Arab American Institute (AAI) urged the Clinton administration to appoint a special envoy to the peace process and to reaffirm commitment to the terms agreed upon a year ago in Madrid. Dr. Zogby stressed the importance of U. S. evenhandedness and avoiding "one-sided 'doctrinal statements,' such as advocating Jerusalem as Israel's capital, that could hinder the efforts of a new president to serve as an honest broker in the peace negotiations. "

President George Salem of the National Association of Arab Americans (NAAA) noted that for the peace process to succeed "there must be continuity between the Clinton administration's Middle East policy and that of its predecessor . . . The incoming administration must become fully engaged in the process without delay, and it must work to ensure that the original terms of reference remain intact and the interests of all parties are addressed equitably."

U. S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce (USACC) President J. R. AbiNader described Arab nations as one of the top three emerging markets for the United States in the '90s, with more than $40 billion of bilateral trade to be transacted in 1992. "Trade policy, no less than foreign policy, will define the global character of the Clinton administration," AbiNader said.

AbiNader cautioned that "world markets are watching and the messages sent by appointments to key positions here will define the initial perceptions of what the administration means by 'doing business."' He recommended that the Clinton team define integrated regional policies, in which economic actions will support political goals and vice versa, and that the incoming administration encourage regional and bilateral trade liberalization. As an example he cited the economic dialogue between the U.S. and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

25th AAUG Convention: Some Hopeful Signs Under Clinton Administration

At the 25th Annual Convention of the Association of Arab-American University Graduates (AAUG), held Nov. 13-15 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC, several speakers encouraged the Arab-American community to regard the upcoming change in presidential administration as a potentially positive event which could be exploited through increased grassroots political organizing and coalition building.

Addressing the audience of more than 250 at the Saturday evening banquet, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) Chairman and former South Dakota Senator James Abourezk said, "I've had enough of Arab Americans getting caught up in going to the White House and leaving with only a photo-op. Then they pat us on the back and send us out the door, and the next minute the White House is on the phone with the Israeli lobby discussing policy. We have to organize and be powerful enough so they'll come to us and discuss policy."

Abourezk stated that it is too early to tell whether the positions taken by President-elect Bill Clinton on the Middle East and the peace process prior to the election reflect mere campaign rhetoric or his true convictions.

The ADC chairman discussed the recent scandal surrounding the ouster of American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) President David Steiner. Steiner resigned following the publication of statements made to AIPAC member Harry Katz, in which Steiner claimed AIPAC was "negotiating" with Clinton over who would be named secretary of state. "That was a shot fired across Bill Clinton's bow," said Abourezk. "AIPAC made a huge mistake. Now Clinton will be more careful whom he chooses."

Columbia University Professor Edward Said, a former member of the Palestine National Council, characterized the past 12 years of the Reagan and Bush administrations as a "period of economic and social drift, rapacity and greed domestically." He questioned the "preposterous" popularity of these administrations with Arab governments, stating that "no American policy did anything to promote democracy, human, women's or minority rights at all in any Arab state" during this time.

Said accused Arab leaders and intellectuals of "chauvinism, mendacity and amnesia" and a "philosophy of fawning civility" toward the past two administrations, despite the U.S. attitude that "the Arab world is private property, a fiefdom, meant to provide access to oil and to give the U.S. a stage to work its will in general."

Stating that he is "for negotiations, but between equals, not servants and masters," Said said that under the Bush administration, during the "disastrous summer of 1991," the Palestinian delegation, under "bad advice from our so-called friends in the U.S. and the Arab world, meekly accepted the edicts of the Bush administration, giving in to every ridiculous concession, as the Bush/Baker team accepted the proposals of the Shamir administration," with the result that Palestinians in East Jerusalem and in exile throughout the world are denied a voice in the negotiations.

Said asked the audience to consider that "Power is complex in the U.S.—it does not rest solely in the hands of an elite and its court." He urged Arab Americans to "more precisely and accurately gauge our strength and position in domestic U.S. policy and public opinion," noting that polls have shown increasing support for a more balanced Middle East policy among academic, church, ethnic (Latin, African and Asian American), women's, and progressive groups, including part of the Jewish community.

Said acknowledged the ambivalence of much of the Arab-American community following the Clinton victory because of the tendency of some Democratic party leaders to be "fanatically, even hysterically pro-Israel." But he reminded the audience that "the Democratic Party of Scoop Jackson, Alan Cranston and Al Gore is also the party of Jimmy Carter, George Ball and Jesse Jackson.

Describing Clinton as "more liberal and tolerant on women's, gay and minority rights issues, with generally progressive economic views," Said claimed that Clinton's overall domestic outline demonstrates an "affinity" for a more human rights- and equality-oriented foreign policy. "The new opportunity afforded by the Clinton era is a potential change in context and rhetorical climate which is favorable to those Arabs and Arab Americans searching for a more democratic vision of the future," Said said. "It is up to Arab-American professionals and intellectuals to seize this opportunity to insert ourselves in an organized way into the national agenda through writing, speaking out and political action."

L.A. 8 Update: Israeli "Terrorism Expert" Testifes

On Oct. 27th, the deportation hearing for two members of the "L.A. 8," Khader Hamide and Michel Shehadeh, began in the U.S. Federal Building in Los Angeles, presided over by Judge Bruce Einhorn. The defendants, lawful permanent residents of the U.S., were arrested in early 1987 by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) under the McCarran Walter Act, which has since been declared unconstitutional. They are currently charged under the Immigration Act of 1990 with raising funds for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which the INS interprets as "material support" for any organization designated "terrorist" by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

During the currently ongoing first phase of the deportation hearing, the DOJ attorneys will attempt to prove that the PFLP is indeed a "terrorist" organization for the purposes of this case. The U.S. government called as its first witness Professor Ariel Merari of Tel Aviv University, who was accepted by Judge Einhorn as an expert on international terrorism. According to a report by the American Friends Service Committee, during questioning by respondents' attorney Leonard Weinglass, Merari admitted that he does not speak or read Arabic, has never discussed his writings with anyone from the Palestinian or Arab community, and relies primarily on media and intelligence agency reports for his documentation on alleged terrorist activities. He also indicated that he is not knowledgeable about the PFLP's social service, diplomatic or political activities, and considers all the non-military activities of national liberation movements entirely irrelevant to the determination of whether the organization is a "terrorist" group.

Justice Department attorney Michael Lindemann attempted to introduce a collection of documents allegedly confiscated from a PFLP building by the Israel Defense Forces during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Professor Merari explained that the documents were initially provided to the DOJ attorneys in December 1990, but that the permission needed for them to be used in the hearing was allegedly not granted by the Israeli prime minister's office until the hearing's opening day. Judge Einhorn ruled the documents inadmissible because the government failed to provide them to the respondents' attorneys in a timely manner.

When the involvement of the prime minister's office was revealed in court, respondents' attorney Weinglass said, "I am taken aback to know that the Israeli prime minister's office is looking at this case. . . This gives us some idea of whose interest is being served to have my clients deported. "

The hearing is scheduled to continue at least through February. For information, contact the Committee for Justice to Stop the McCarran-Walter Act Deportations at P.O. Box 4631, Los Angeles, CA 90051 or call (213) 413-2935.

Catherine M. Willford is the circulation director of the Washington Report.