Friday, September 25, 1981 11 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS AWACS Decision Rests on Saudi 'Problem' The Wall Street Journal's Sept. 16 edition ran the fol- lowing' editorial item in its "Review and Outlook" sec- tion, under the headline "The Saudi Problem": "The great AWACS de- bate now starting on Capitol. Hill is being cast as a popularity contest, demo- cratic and Jewish Israel versus oil-rich and Arab Saudi Arabia. This is pro- foundly unfortunate, for it obscures what seems to us the central issue in the sale, which is not the Israeli problem but the Saudi prob- lem. "Suppose for a moment that Israel didn't exist. Suppose Lord Balfour had declared that the Jewish homeland would be in Arizona or Wales. Then consider anew the facts of the AWACS sale: Here is an airplane so advanced and sophisticated we have never sold it outright to any other nation, using it in NATO only with joint command re- lationships. "This plane is now being flown over Saudi Arabia by the U.S. Air Force, the American presence having been invited by the Saudis at the outset of the Iraq-Iran war. The Saudis come to us saying, in the interest of de- fending the oil fields, we would like to buy the airplanes so that we can send the American crews home, or at least keep the American technicians on the ground. "With or without Israel, it seems to us there is a. small question or two: How does this better protect the oil fields? And how does this advance American inter- ests? What do we get out of it? "The Administration and other proponents of the sale generally fail to address these questions, under- standably preferring to tilt with Menahem Begin over whether U.S. policy ought to hinge on the Arab threat Weizmann U. Program Assisting Young Scientists to Israel. But to the extent there is an answer, it is that the sale is a special favor in- tended to shore up the leader of the 'Arab moder- ates. "Precisely what makes the Saudis so moderate, however, is never quite clear. To a lot of people it has to do with oil prices. The Saudis are selling us oil at only 15 times the price of a decade ago, but they have kept their quotes below the rest of OPEC. This is widely regarded, especially the Aramco partners who have profited from the arrange- ment, as a political favor to the. West. But the dominant member of a cartel always undersells the other mem- bers. As the oil glut spreads and the OPEC price comes under pressure, it becomes more evident than ever that the Saudi price has little to do with politics and every- thing to do with profit maximizing. They set the price of their oil in their own interest, and will continue to do so with or without AWACS. In politics, the Saudis are Arab moderates be- cause, unlike Libya or Iraq, they don't invade their Is- lamic neighbors. And, of course, because they talk an anti-Soviet line. But like the Soviets they supply money and rhethrical sup- port to the terrorist Pales- tine Liberation Organiza- tion. "At the time of Camp David, they cast their lot against Egypt's President Sadat, an Arab leader who acts as well as talks pro- Western. In doing this they also undermined U.S. pol- icy. "For that matter, in 1973 they singled out the U.S. as the object of an oil embargo. Better, surely, to have a Saudi Arabia led by the House of Saud than by a fundamentalist mullah or a Marxist colonel. But this is not a special friend to whom the U.S. owes great favors. "Nothing here is to say that the U.S. ought to write off Saudi Arabia. To the contrary, we should seek a closer relationship, built on our mutual interest in de- fending the oil fields. But this the Saudis have re- sisted, not allowing access rights' to their bases, let alone following the Egyp- tian example of conducting joint exercises with our rapid deployment force. "If, perish the thought, the AWACS detected a Soviet airborn thrust at the oil fields, on what forces would they call? The Saudis have always wanted the U.S. to defend them, but to remain 6,000 miles away. The great sorrow of the AWAC sale is that we mis- sed an Opportunity to make them 'lace geographical REHOVOT — Informs- -velop into specialized tion leading to the reversal cells— such as liver, skin, muscle — that carry out of infertility as well as to the strictly defined tasks. development of safe new contraceptives may be the Two other new chairs in outcome of research on the the biological sciences are mechanism of oocyte (egg held by cell biplogists. Dr. cell) development now Israel Zanbar — who exam- being undertaken by Dr. ines the basic principles un- Nava Dekel of the Weiz- derlying immunity to infec- mann Institute's Hormone tions — occupies the Elaine Research Department. Blond Career Development Dr. Dekel and dozens of Chair, established by Mrs. other promising young Is- Blond of London. Mrs. raeli scientists might have Blond is the aunt of the in- stitute's Board Chairman been deprived of the oppor- tunity to do important re- Lord Bieff of Brimpton. search — and do it in their The holder of the Delta own country — had it not Career Development Chair, been for the institute's established recently by Is- career development chair rael's Delta Textiles Li- program. Initiated six years mited, is Dr. Dov Zippori, ago by institute President who focuses on the possibil- Prof. Michael Seta, this pro- ity that leukemia may re- gram — within the sult from changes occurring framework of which 35 in the tissue environment chairs now exist — is de- that houses the developing signed to provide support blood cells, rather than from for a number of carefully- changes in the blood cells selected scientists who themselves. have just completed their Two recent chairs are in doctoral or post-doctoral the area of biophysics- studies and are now in the biochemistry. Dr. Vivian most formative period of Teichberg is the incumbent of the Mark Stanley Shriro their careers. The Charles H. Revson Career Development Chair, Foundation has provided a established by Shriro of career development chair France. The Swiss-born sci- for Dekel as it has for nine entist is using his skill in other young scientists at the biochemistry and institute. Among those enzymology to study the given a Revson Chair this molecular basis of pain, year is Dr. Zvi Naor, also of while Dr. Yacov Klein — the hormone research de- holder of the Victor Erlich partment, who concentrates Career Development Chair, on the peptide hormones established by the late Dr. that are released by the Erlich, a student and later a brain and regulate sexual colleague of Dr. Chaim Weizmann — is in the field function. Yet another member of of polymer physics. In physics, the Ruth Eps- That department, U.S.- thorn Cynthia Webb, is tein Recu Career Develop- ment Chair has been made The incumbent of the Pauline Recanati Career possible by the late Mrs. Development Chair in Recu. Incumbent Dr. Amos Hardy of the electronics de- Immunology, established "The' whole episode, in this year by the Ralli partment is investigating fact, wa'S mishandled from Foundation of Geneva in aspects of the laser beam. the first. In retrospect, the honor of Mrs. Recanati of Contention is like fire; for Saudis Should have been of- :London. Dr. Webb is con- long as there is fered their choice of two op- !cerned with what factor both bucaso. cliuses undifferentiated - any exhatigibte Matter to 0 tions:aloint command rela-; WACS or tionshiPt: for the' ex pwry,bbi e the outright purchase of the E-2C., a similar but less capable plane we have sold to other nations, including - Israel. "Instead, they were more or less promised the plane by the Joint Chiefs in the lame-duck days of the Car- ter administraion, and this decision was ratified by the Reagan Administration be- fore it had even filled its staff. In short, the homework was never done. "By now the security is- sues involved have been overtaken by questions of saving face — for the Saudis, for Mr. Reagan, for Mr. Begin. Amid the tumult there is a very real problem of how to defend the Persian Gulf, but no one seems to notice. Not the Saudis and not the Reagan Administration." ORT students recently vi- sited the Terra Santa School in Acre and were the guests of a number of Arab families there as part of a project to draw Arab and Jewish youths together. In recipro- Cation, Arab students paid a visit to the ORT school in Kiryat Motzkin. PA Y 7 - STA Y 7 7 IL • SUPER VALUE AT HARBOR ISLAND SPA AS LOW AS ROOM RATE INCLUDES: 3 supervised meals daily — A.D.A. dietician—Golf (3 times weekly-S15)— $ 36 massages —Tennis (day & night)—Million dollar health spas for men & women—A.M. & P.M. P•P• snacks — Yoga and water exercise classes— dbl. Nightly Entertainment — Dancing — Shows — occ. Bingo — Mollies — LOW FAT DIETS MAIM PUILO.G RATES For.information. Reservations & Color Brochure 'CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-327-7510 LARRY PASKOWS NORTH BAY VILLAGE. MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA 33141 ce•w ~ 'zn,8417.;:r $ Pace Rates loaf Bays Oe Tower $u e5 anQ P00154e L c ''" Your Life-Long Dream of a Trip to Israel Can Be a Reality! 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