*114.1.nrwm,,,,,,,■■•■• The Carter Constellation: Baptists and Attitudes Towards the Jews American Jewish Committee's Transformation: From Shtadlanut to Democratization THE JEWISH NEWS Commentary Page 2 A Weekly Review VOL. LXIX, No. 15 f Jewish Events '9 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 424-8833 Editorial Page 4 $10.00 Per Year ; This Issue 30c June 18, 1976 l)emocratic - Platforni..Seeks Firm ,Step's.•_: to Assure • Israel :Security With Jerusalem a\State't . Capital Envoy Laments 'Habitat' Anti-Israeli Resolutions TORONTO (JTA) — The United States has sharply criticized a res- olution obliquely criticizing Israel which was adopted in the closing minutes of the two-week long United Nations-sponsored "Habitat" Con- ference at Vancouver, B.C. The U.S. also warned that it would boycott such UN meetings unless "extraneous politics" were excluded. There was no direct reference to Israel or the Middle East in the resolution. There was, however, a reference to "all forms of racial dis- crimination referred to in the resolutions adopted by the General As- sembly of the United Nations." The "Habitat" confe'rence's "Declaration of Principles" which in- corporated the paragraph was adopted by an 89-15 vote with 10 absten- • tions. In addition to the United States, negative votes were cast by Aus- tralia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, West Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom.. After the vote, Christian A. Herter, Jr., acting head of the U.S. delegation, told the 135-nation conference, "There is good reason to believe that public esteem for the United Nations will be seriously impaired by this record." Mordechai Kidron, the Israeli delegate, called the vote "a tragic situation which has nearly wrecked the conference". The conference earlier approved three resolutions that were aimed at Israel. They called on the UN to investigate living conditiont of Pales- tinian Arabs, denounced "intruders" on "occupied lands," and de- nounced settlements on "lands acquired through coercion and subjuga- tion." Canada's Urban Affairs Minister, Barney Danson, who was presi- dent of the conference and is Jewish, had earlier made an impassioned plea to Cuba, which introduced the resolution, and its other supporters to withdraw it. The Canada-Israel Committee issued an official statement de- nouncing the Palestine Liberation Organization for the destructive in- trusion of politics into "Habitat." Co-chairman Norman May said that the PLO and the Arab bloc were "seeking to pervert Habitat's objectives by manipulating the conference for their own immoral purposes. They have abused Canada's hospitality by the attempts to spread distortions and lies." The U.S. and Israel walked out last week when the PLO representa- tive spoke to the conference. Some 1500 persons held a demonstration in downtown Vancouver protesting the politicization of the conference by the PLO and their supporters. WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Democratic Platform Committee approved a policy statement on the Middle East Wednesday which calls for the strong support of Israel and the recognition by the United States of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state. The statement is part of the platform which will be submitted to the Democratic national convention in New York in July. The last paragraph of a statement on the Middle East declares, "We recognize and support the established status of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel with free access to all its holy places provided to all faiths. As a symbol of this stand the U.S. embassy should be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem." The U.S. and most other countries have refused to move their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The Middle East statement also says: "We shall continue to seek a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. The committee policy is a firm commitment to the independence and security of the state of Israel. This special relationship does not prejudice improved relations with other nations in the region. Real peace in the Middle East will permit Israel and her Arab neighbors to turn their energies to internal development and will eliminate the threat of world conflict spread- ing from tensions there." The draft statement also said that the fundamental U.S. principles in the Mideast must include "our consistent support of Israel, including sufficient military assistance to main- tain Israel's deterrent strength . . . and the maintenance of U.S. military forces in the Mediterranean adequate to deter intervention by the Soviet Union;" and opposition to an imposed solution from outside while promoting "direct face-to-face negotiations between the parties and normalization of relations and a full peace within secure and defensible borders. " The statement said that a solution must be found to the problem of both Arab and. Jewish refugees, but "such problems cannot be solved, however, by rec- ognition of terrorist WASHINGTON, (JTA) — The Ford Administration continued to groups which refuse to reiterate late last week its opposition to Congressional legislation aimed acknowledge their adver- at strengthening action against American firms complying with the sary's right to exist or Arab boycott against Israel. In testimony before the House Interna- groups which have no le- tional Relations Committee, Commerce Secretary Elliott L. Richardson gitimate claim to repre- said that the Administration opposes additional legislation "as being sent the people for whom both untimely and unnecessary and potentially counter-productive." they purport to be speak- Richardson stressed that the Administration has already taken ing.". The draft statement steps "to assure that the boycott is free of discrimination against also declared, "We support 'United States citizens, to deal with secondary boycott practices that interfere with economic relations among domestic firms and to seek initiation of government diplomatic modification of the more objectionable manifestations of the enforcement action to in- boycott." sure the stated U.S. policy Administration Fighting Anti-Boycott Legislation (Continued on Page 6) (Continued on Page 6) Moscow Hit, Lebanon Topic of Israel Policy Debate *JERUSALEM (JTA) — Premier Yitzhak Rabin presented a detailed and comprehen- sive review of Israel's foreign policy to the Knesset Tuesday during which he defined the so-called "Red Line" in Lebanon, took a conciliatory but firm position toward the Arab states and assailed the Soviet Union. Moscow, of late, has become even more of an obstacle to progress towards peace in the Middle East than previously, the Premier said. Rabin addressed the Knesset at the opening of a major foreign policy debate. He focussed on the situation in Lebanon which, he stressed, was unpredictable because it was "fluid and changing from hour to hour." He said Israel was maintaining careful and tant surveillance of events in Lebanon. It prefers not to act, but, "If a new situation .,es, our own position could well change in accordance with our security considera- tions," the Premier warned. Rabin explained that Israel's "Red Line" consisted of several components, among them "the aim of the foreign foes operating in Lebanon and the targets against which they are operating; their geographical position and its proximity to Israel; their military strength; and the length of time they spend in a given area." Syrian troops were reportedly seen two miles of Israeli border posts Tuesday. I Rabin said that two specific dangers to Israel and to the Middle East's stability as a whole could arise from the Lebanese war. "If Lebanon loses its independence and falls to the terrorist organizations or their allies or if Lebanon comes under Syrian domination," these dangers could become acute, he . said. He added, however, that the "various factors - • r: operating in Lebanon are aware of what moves and situations would be considered into- lerable by us." Rabin was cautious in his assessment of Syria's position both with respect to its intervention in Lebanon and the Middle East situation as a whole. He said he "willingly noted" Syria's recent consent to renew the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on the Golan Heights with no conditions attached. On the other hand, he said, Syria has shown no readiness to negotiate with Israel. It still demands Israel's total withdrawal from the administered territories and the establishment of a Palestinian state as a condition for talks — and not even talks. aimed at a full peace settlement. Syria has not responded to the U.S.-Israeli end-of-war initiative and "this obstinacy is the obstacle on the road to peace," Rabin declared. He praised U.S. leaders for backing Israel's refusal to attend a Geneva conference where the PLO is present and for aiding Israel militarily and politically on an unprece- dented level. He acknowledged that there were differences of outlook with Washington but expressed confidence that they could be overcome. With respect to Egypt, Rabin noted that quiet has been maintained along Israel's '40- southern and northern lines and attributed this to the second interim agreement with Egypt signed last September. Syria's agreement to extend the UNDOF mandate four times was doublessly linked to the situation in Sinai where two interim accords were (Continued on Page 5)