2 Fridayi lMay ,j21, 1983 r I iFHE MIMI: JEWISH ,NEWS Purely Commentary Some Vital Points in Accord Reached by Israel, Lebanon The Immense Drama and Its International Stage, the Quest for Peace and Conflicts Involving All Middle East States With the U.S. a Leading Factor in the Cast of Characters By Philip Slomovitz But the most difficult price may have to be major guilt for having permitted the spreading of the nurse paid by Washington. The Lebanese suggest that if Ellen Siegel libels. It was the Post that sensationalized her Syria is to be induced to p'ull out of Lebanon and The Lebanese-Israeli accord, reached with the assis- and introduced her as a witness who was ignored in the thus risk alienating its patrons in Moscow, it tance and encouragement of the United States, provided inquiry conducted by the Kahan Commission and prior to would have to get something very substantial in many speculative and analytical observations, in diploma- it. What surprises is what this column questioned at the return. The Syrians are likely to demand a Soviet tic quarters and in the media. time — why Nurse Siegel was not fully exposed in' her role at any negotiating table as well as American condemnation of Israel. The Soviet support for Syria, the Syrian obstructions, recognition of Syria's centrality in any settlement, the attitudes of the Arab potentates, continue under In the original Washington Post story it was state0, a United States commitment to work for a return scrutiny. specifically, but not sufficiently emphasized, that Nurse of the Golan Heights and greater American Atten- The concern over Lebanese reactions is of special Siegel the Jewess stemmed from PLO ranks, that two years fives to Syrian viewpoints, as opposed to those of interest. How do the Lebanese react to a peace with Israel? Jordan. before the Beirut occurrences she danced with the PLO in Will there be positive judging of the unanimous action by London, that she had admittedly sung to the PLO tunes. The Lebanon-Israel withdrawal negotiations the Lebanese parliament, whose entire membership, the 80 took more than four months, required a two-week Yet Nurse Siegel is introduced by McGrory as a chal- Christians and Moslems, endorsed the agreement? lenger who posed questions at the National Press Club shuttle by the American Secretary of State, The views of Pulitzer-Prize winner Thomas L. Fried- session addressed by Sharon and was ignored. Perhaps the George P. Shultz, were accompanied by a high man, whose reports from the Middle East, including Am- chairman read correctly what may have been the hatc degree of regional tension and involved countless man, and notably from Beirut, continue in superb fashion, message from Siegel and chose not to give a poison- compromises by both sides. Now the hard part are of special significance. spreading Jewess a platform. begins — dealing with Syria. On the eve of the signing of the Lebanese-Israeli Will Jordan's King Hussein again assume a position of agreement, reporting for the NeVork Times from Beirut, McGrory's honorable record as a columnist should influence in the dispute? Friedman had this comment: How far-reaching will the Soviet involvement be in the have led her to more accurate judging of the American Privately, many senior Lebanese officials ex- Jewish community. She could have been less cruel in the process of creating amity among the nations affected? press deep loathing for the Syrians, who, they say, The oncoming weeks will be crucial. The U.S. diploma- charges leveled at Sharon, that they were not his hands have been trampling on Lebanese sovereignty for tic maneuvers, the State Department and Secretary George that were bloodstained in the outrageous massacre that led eight years but are now frying to cast themselves Shultz, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, who so to the appointment of an inquiry commission; that the as Beirut's white knight, chivalrously protecting effectively defended his attitude in the acclaimed address indictments by the Kahan Commission were for insen- Lebanon's "integrity" from the Israelis. sitivities. They merited condemnations but they also in- he delivered at the convention of the American Jewi vited, as they generally received, acclaim for a humane With regard to the other Arab countries and their Committee, will be important as participants in all deli b- approach in official Israeli circles. erations. reactions to what is viewed as another historic occurrence, Friedman also reported that emissaries have been sent Israel will undoubtedly remain in the limeligh t. McGrory showed real skill in ferreting out Israel's around the Arab world "seeking to enlist support, particu- Arafat's threats will not be ignored. The settlement pro b_ antagonists, especially in their being Jewish. She might larly from Saudi Arabia's King Fand, who has the real lems will be used as weapons against the Menahem Begi n have said a word about a self-testing in the Jewish-Israeli power to legitimize the position of either country. But the administration. "Palestinians" will be the subject of em 0 _ character that permits an enemy like Nurse Siegel who was King, who clearly has some reservations about the tional pleadings. and is a front for the PLO to tour Israel at will, and a American-sponsored agreement, has apparently decided to Perhaps much will be resolved very soon. If only the re deluded Argentinian hero like Jacobo Timerman to express stay neutral, leaving the field open to an eventual free-for- were the much-needed Israel unity to withstand attac ks his bitterness over an administration in his adopted coun- all." not only from the outside forces but especially internally ! try which irks him. There remains the ethical-democratic Syria remains, of course, the chief obstacle to an even- The great drama has international concern and is strength of Israel, even if Timerman-Siegel-McGrory re- tual peace, and this is where the American influence again enacted on a vast stage. main blind to it. will be expected to be a chief factor in a long-lasting drama. Friedman has some basic views on the subject in his com- Isaiah Minkoff: A Notable Lawrence Crohn Symbolized ments: Syria's nuisance value in Arab politics, which has made it unwise to ignore Damascus in any American-sponsored peace initiative,-.has always depended on its ability to heat up the situation in Lebanon and to control the Palestine Liberation Organization guerrillas based there. That is not a role the Syrians will easily relinquish. "All the money Syria shakes down the other Arabs for is based on the fact that it is confronting Israel or keeping the peace in Lebanon," said a Middle East expert teaching in Beirut. "If the Sy- rians allow the Bekaa front to be sealed up, how can they ask the other Arabs for money?" Al- ready, Damascus is trying to forge an anti- agreement "Lebanese National Front" of politi- cians in Syrian-controlled sections of Lebanon. It is not easy for Lebanese politicians, espe- cially Moslems, who have traditionally looked to Damascus for guidance, to ignore Syria. The Lebanese Moslem leadership was hoping for clear-cut Saudi support on the agreement to blunt any threat from Damascus, but this has not been forthcoming so they are lying low. "The Syrians are strong, mean and nearby," remarks a Sunni Moslem professor. "The Saudis are weak, gentle and far away. So how can anyone stick their neck out?" Still, the Lebanese profess to believe that with the right combination of incentives, the Syrians might eventually be induced to leave. But they acknowledge that since this could be "Syria's last tango in Lebanon," the price would be steep. The Lebanese know that they have maneuvered the Syrians into a tight corner. Damascus doesn't have the Arab backing against the Lebanese agreement that it had against Camp David. Egypt and Jordan have already said they will stand be- hind Beirut and are trying to persuade other Arabs to do likewise. Damascus may have to risk nearly total isolation in thArab world. The al- ternative would be to try to make the best of a bad situation. If they do decide to withdraw, the Syrians will try to get three different parties to foot the bill, Lebanese analysts believe. From Beirut, Lebanese officials believe, the Syrians will demand a withdrawal accord that will not appear to be the result of the Israel- Lebanon agreement but will seem to stem from its own set of principles. The Syrians want to be for- mally recognized as Lebanon's big brother and protector and could possibly demand a defense pact with their neighbor. From the Saudis, the Syrians will demand their usual payoff — "X" billion dollars in cash. - Career in Human Relations Isaiah M. Minkoff was among the giants in Jewish communal spheres. As founding executive vice chairman of the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council, he was the guide and inspirational force in all major activities involv- ing the defense of Jews on a world scale. He was a leader in the advancement of the highest ideals leading to genuine good- will and to the strengthening of Jewish ties with neighbors when problems involving civil, religious and political rights were menaced. He had earned an inerasable place in civil rights battles when he led the NJCRAC into an involvement with black groups in the struggle for just rights and the elimina- tion of prejudices toward blacks in this country. It was thanks to him that the leadership Conference on Civil Rights was organized in . 1940. He was a man of great charm and was beloved by his co-workers and admired nationally for his courage and wisdom. His death on May 10 at the age of 82 served to revive the esteem for a name that will live in the records of great movements that gave power to the civil rights movements. Canard-Spreading Menaces Truth, Poisons the Media For a time it was believed the spreading of canards had halted, that reporting about the Middle East and the af- termath of the Peace for Galilee campaign would lead to honorable and realistic treatment of news and per- sonalities making the news. But the canards seem to con- tinue. Repetition of the fakes that were perpetrated during the Lebanese conflict-in reports stemming from Arab quar- ters was not unusual. When, however, responsible colum- nists again resort to the type of misrepresentation that was in evidence when faked photos, kept reappearing in tele- vised scenes with descriptions on radio and in news reports it is cause again for concern. Mary McGrory added to the disappointing recurrence of news canarding with her column about Ariel Sharon. McGrory is an admired fighter for her views, She has battled going in and on entering and departing from the White House. In the media she is a Battling Medium. In the Sharon case she provided puzzlement. Is it possible that she undertook to judge him anew without having read the entire Kahan Commission of Inquiry Report? Was it jus- tified to have treated the Sharon visit here earlier this month on the sketchy news releases, without double- checking on the actual results of his confrontations with the Jewish community? Most distressing is her having drawn in as a witness for her indictment a woman who poses as having been in Beirut during the warring period and of having been an eyewitnesS to atrocities by Israelis. On this score it is the Washington Post that bears Mattirity of U.S. Jewry Lawrence Crohn was a second-generation American who combined his native Americanism and his Jewish heritage into a monumental idealism. Born in New York, benefiting from a higher education in American schools, he pursued family traditions with a devotion to Jewish learning. In that combined dedication to two great purposes, he deiroted his life to the advancement of Jewish cultural and spiritual aims and as a stalwart Zionist. In a loyal embracing of the two great purposes, Mr. Crohn was among the pioneer promoters of the basic aims of making the American Jewish ideal a promotion of American Jewry from an immigrant folk into a maturing American Jewish community. Whatever has been achieved in that respect is ascriba- ble to the devotion and loyalty of the generation which counted him among its most dedicated advocates. It is in such a role that he recorded an inerasable page in Detroit's Jewish and Zionist history. Senator Percy Reports Anti-Semites and enemies of Israel have made much of the increase voted in U.S. aid to Israel. Supporting friend- ship for Israel is reported this week by Senator Charles Percy of Illinois, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Rela- tions Committee: "On the Middle East, the committee adopted a Percy- Pell proposal which added $125 million in economic sup, port funds for Israel and shifted $300 million from loans to direct miliary grants for Israel. As I said in offering this proposal to the committee on April 28, Israel is our strong friend in the Middle East and we simply cannot allow the appearance or the reality of their not being able to defend themselves against any combination of potential adver- saries." What a welcome act from so important a source! 'Eric Hoffer's Legacy Eric Hoffer was a ,fearless columnist in his time. He defied platitudes and challenged the pompous. He was the Longshoreman Philosopher who was not deluded by prej- udices and his championship of Israel's just rights elevated him above the commonplace. He fearlessly criticized an element in black leadership in the 1960s that chose to give comfort to those who would destroy the Jewish state. The then head of the Jewish Community Council's community relations committee was angered by it, yet future similar encouragement to terrorists by a few, very few among the blacks, justified urging the black community never to align itself with anti-Jewish groups. As a philo-Semite and friend of Israel, the Eric Hoffer name is indelible in the 20th Century experiences.