THE DEIROVEWISH NEWS Friday, August; 14, ;1981 21 Pressuring Israel Will Not lead to Middle East Peace By VICTOR BIENSTOCK One of the paradoxes in the Middle East situation today is that Israel finds its most dependable friends in this country not among the liberals but among the diehard conservatives among whom, incidentally, it also finds adamant foes. There was hardly a "lib- eral" voice raised in defense of Israel after Prime Minis- ter Menahem Begin sent the Israeli Air Force on a bombing mission over Be- irut which cost the lives of some 300 civilians. The chorus of condemnation in press was almost nimous; supportive vi ces were heard but faintly. Polls showed a dangerous erosion of public support for Israel. Washington correspon- dent Tom Braden, outraged that Begin had acted with- out prior consultation of Washington, insisted in his syndicated column that "the way to handle a national leader (Begin) who insists on a dangerous course of ac- tion is to confront him di- rectly and forcefully. We ought to do this now." We should, said Braden, tell Begin that "all arms ship- ments to Israel will cease until such time as he sits down with President Re- agan and President Sadat and enters into realistic dis- cussions of the Palestinian autonomy which he promised at Camp David." Mr. Begin, he added, "needs a sharp rebuke." Pat Buchanan, a far- right veteran of the Nixon White House and -now a syndicated columnist who has consistently given Israel strong sup- port, said in a column fol- lowing the Beirut raid that "it is incumbent that Americans appreciate the security problems and the domestic politi- cal situation confronted by our Israeli friends in whose frontier towns regular funeral services are conducted for victims of PLO terror." But, he added, "Menahem Begin must awaken to reality that American pub- lic opinion is turning shar- ply, angrily, against Israel, that Israel's support in offi- cial and unofficial Wash- ington is disintegrating." And most serious, he added, the Israeli actions have "placed the one indispensa- ble ally and friend they have in the world, Ronald Reagan, in an impossible situation." And then Buchanan warned: "To any who have heard Ronald Reagan on the bject, his support of Israel grounded in emotion as well as logic. He sees Israel not only as a 'strategic asset' but an exemplar of democ- racy, courage and heroism in the West. But it is neither in Mr. Reagan's self- interest nor in his character to accept the role of patsy and pushover for Menahem Begin." The debate over the mili- tary wisdom and morality of "O the Beirut air assault will conceived the Camp David continue indefinitely; one process to be. The problem can accept the Begin con- with the Camp David proc- tention that its sole purpose ess is that our impatient was to destory the Palestine policymakers want to leap- Liberation Organization frog the difficult inter- headquarters deliberately mediate steps to arrive at placed in a civilian quarte'r the solution of the West as a shield against air at- Bank situation which they tacks, or the contention voi- believe to be the key to the ced by Braden that the real overall solution, so vital to objective probably was to the construction of a Middle disrupt the efforts to resolve East anti-Soviet front. the Israeli-Syrian crisis Washington's failure to conducted with Saudi Ara- understand this was bared bian auspices because "Mr. again in the briefings on the Begin does not want the eve of President Sadat's United States to be friendly visit in the emphasis placed with Saudi Arabia." on the question of Jewish Two things are certain: settlements on the West the Beirut attack has Bank. President Reagan alienated many friends of was quoted as considering Israel here and abroad these settlements a "prob- and renewed suspicion of lem" in the search for peace Begin as an unreformed and reporters were re- and unrepentant ter- minded. that Reagan had rorist, and that the at- told some of their number tempts to reach an Arab- shortly after he took office Israel understanding will that he thought Israel's be made vastly more dif- rush" to build new settle- ficult. ments on the West Bank A "settlement," in any might be "ill-advised" and case, would not be much "unnecessarily provoca- more than an armistice, tive." whatever its terms, because A highly-regarded corre- most of the Arab leaders, in- spondent for a major news- cluding the Saudi dynasty, paper chain went so far as to have not reconciled them- describe the Israeli settle- selves to the existence of a ments as "the chief barrier Jewish state in Palestine to peace in the Middle regardless of how much its East." borders are compressed and There are now about even if it ceded control of the 20,000 Jewish settlers on Old City of Jerusalem. This the West Bank out of a is the fundamental problem population of more than and sooner or later it will a million — certainly not have to be addressed. a number large enough to endanger the Arabic Most Americans, includ- quality of the area. No Is- ing many in high places in raeli government, no Washington, have ex- self-respecting Jew, no tremely naive views about advocate of human rights the Middle East and an can accept the principle alarming lack of informa- that any political entity tion about its history during the past half-century. Most anywhere can deny a of us do not realize that in person the right or resi- dence on the grounds pressing the West Bank is- that he is a Jew. sue, we are trying to turn Saudi Arabia, which once the clock back to the pre- 1967 era while at the same included a converted Ger- man Jew in its United Na- time we insist that the Is- tions delegation, is probably raelis do now what the Arabs themselves refused to the only nation on earth _ do when they ruled the which by law and practice bars Jews. A United States territory for 19 years — to create an autonomous re- government which sup- ported a policy of excluding gime giving self- determination to the in- Jews would find itself in a most embarrassing moral habitants of the area. and political dilemma. Once the West Bank issue Ultimately, I believe, Is- is settled, according to Washingto'n's script, every rael will have to accept the idea of a Palestine Arab other problem in the Middle East *ill eventually fall entity on the West Bank, into place. They won't be- not necessarily because of the moral obligation to cause the creation of an au- tonomous Palestine Arab recognize the rights of entity will not remove the others (although I would major Arab grievance which is the presence of a CAJE to Hold Jewish state in the heart of Ohio Conference the Moslem world. Establishment of a NEW YORK — The sixth state on the West Bank Conference on Alternatives won't satisfy the PLO; in Jewish Education is that organization is ap- scheduled for Aug. 21-27 at parently prepared to ac- Oberlin College in Oberlin, cept it only as a first step Ohio. More than 1,000 par- and a base from which to ticipants are expected. • secure the "liberation" of This year's conference all of Palestine. will consist of three major President Mitterrand of segments: a pre-conference France, in cautioning his "mini-conference" for partners in the European educators with specialized Community against trying interests; the Shabat pro- to solve the Middle East di- gram; and the actual five- lemma in one grand effort, day conference, which will stressed the need for a offer more than 300 sessions step-by-step approach as he on a wide variety of topics. (( hope that would be the de- termining factor) but for the stark demographic fact that the Jewish state cannot ab- sorb another million- Arabs and remain a Jewish state. Within the lifetime of our children, the Jews would become a numerical minor- ity in their own country. To try to retain the West Bank as a sort of colonial appendage with the Arabs having some form of second-class citizenship is as untenable a concept and as morally repugnant and as certain of failure as apar- theid in South Africa. If President Reagan and his aides really want to pacify the Middle East, their first step should be the common sense mea- sure of using whatever powers they can muster to require the with- drawal of the PLO in the Lebanon to some line from which their artillery and missiles cannot reach Israeli territory. Then Israeli land, sea and air forays to extirpate the terrorist nests would no longer be necessary and settlement talks could proceed in an atmos- COMPUTER PORTRAITS phere of calm. Our Middle East experts will have to recognize that the Palestine solution and the solution for Lebanon are closely intertwined and that as long as the PLO remains an uncontrolled military force in Lebanon within striking distance of Israel there can be no peace in Palestine and no peace in Lebanon. That, not Jewish settlements on the West Bank, is the first problem. A fun idea for your • Bar Mitzva • Wedding • Business Guests etc. Call PEARL SCISSORS BUCKLES UNLIMITED Coupon ___ SALE 30% Discount on WESTERN HATS or I 10% Discount on KNIVES OR I $1 OFF any belt I coupon good thru 9-10-81 1 = PEARL SCISSORS "THE BUCKLE LADY" BUCKLES '$45 0 3 for $12.50 EACH Over 1,800 Different Buckle Styles 2240 COOLIDGE Farmington Monday thru Saturday 18-6— Free Parking 5 BLKS. N. OF 11 MILE 35171 Grand River blk. 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