48 Friday, November 11, 1983
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Weinberger Denies Rejecting Israel Aid After Attack on Marines
WASHINGTON (JTA) —
Defense Secretary Caspar
Weinberger denied to a
group of Orthodox Jews
from 20 states that Ameri-
can Marines, wounded in
the terrorist bombing of
their Beirut headquarters,
had not been taken to hospi-
tals in Israel because he had
rejected an offer of help from
the Israelis.
The decision on medical
treatment was made by the
commanders on the scene,
Weinberger said at a brief-
ing at the Pentagon for the
National Council of Young
Israel. "If we had needed the
hospitals we would have
used them in a minute," he
declared.
The 45 persons attending
the briefing, including
leaders of the national
council, its women's auxil-
iary, and the commander of
the Jewish War Veterans
and the presidents of the
Jewish National Fund,
Emunah Women and the
Religious Zionists of
America, had come to the
Pentagon perturbed about
the refusal of the Israelis'
facilities.
But Weinberger raised
the issue himself, saying
he had suffered "per-
sonal pain" over what he
called "misinformation"
that had appeared over
the Israeli offer of hospi-
tal facilities. He particu-
larly labelled as "scurril-
ous" stories that the Pen-
said that several hours after
the terrorist bombing in
which 230 American mili-
tary personnel were killed,
Israeli Defense Minister
Moshe Arens telephoned
him to offer Israel's condo-,
lences and offered Israel's
help, including the use of Is-
raeli hospitals. He said he
told Arens that this was a
decision for the commander
on the scene and he would
relay it to him.
Weinberger said the U.S.
command in Lebanon al-
ready knew of the Israeli of-
fer, through the U.S. Em-
CASPAR WEINBERGER
bassy in Tel Aviv, but felt
tagon refused the offer there were adequate
for fear of antagonizing facilities on a U.S. hospital
the Arabs.
ship offshore and at a
The Defense Secretary British hospital in Cyprus
where there had been a
long-standing arrangeMent
W,OMW OM MAraWW§,sg
for U.S. forces.
When the Cyprus hospi-
tal Was filled, the wounded
were sent to military hospi-
tals in West Germany.
Weinberger said the next
day he wrote Arens a letter
of thanks for the offer not
knowing whether it had
been accepted or not. But he
stressed "the last thing" he
would tell a military .com-
mander on the scene "is
what he should do or not do
about wounded."
At the same time, he as-
sured the group that "we
have absolutely no geo-
graphic or national re-
strictions of any kind"
about where to take
wounded soldiers. "They
can go anywhere." He
said to place either geo-
graphic or national re-
strictions is "not only ab-
surd but cruel."
Weinberger's statement
was slightly at variance
with the explanation given
by U.S. official spokesmen
up to now. They said it was
U.S. military policy to treat
its wounded at American
military hospitals. This ex-
planation was given by
President Reagan to a group
of Jewish Republicans last
week.
On another issue that has
recently caused concern in
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Weinberger defended the
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Jordanian rapid defense
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force as a "trip wire" to pre-
vent Soviet expansion into
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the Persian Gulf. He said
the Jordanian forces would
be equipped by the U.S. and
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under "our general direc-
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tion." He stressed that it
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would be "no threat to Is-
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rael."
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Weinberger said the
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*Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald
memorandum of under-
standing for strategic coop-
eration with Israel was also
designed to prevent Soviet
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expansion in the Middle
in Southfield's Racquetime Mall
(Starting Nov. 25th)
East and expressed the hope
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it would be soon revived.
Sat.
10-5:45
ORDER E
He said the U.S. did not
Sun.
12-4:45
object to Israel building
its new plane, the Lavie,
but only to financing it
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with U.S. military assis-
tance. He said military
aid was designed by law
to enhance a country's
military capability and
Israel had much more
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sophisticated planes
than the Lavie which
would not be ready until
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the 1990s. He said there is
no objection to the Lavie
being financed through
U.S. economic aid.
Weinberger stressed that
he considers Israel a "strong
and effective ally" with "the
strongest military capabil-
ity in the Middle East." But
he said the United States
needs Arab friends, too, and
said the basic United States
effort in the Mideast is to try
to help create conditions to
achieve peace.
He said such a peace will
safeguard Israel's security
and relieve it of the heavy
military burden which is
presently draining its
economy.
The Defense Secretary
said the United States is de-
termined to keep its
Marines in Lebanon, noting
the United States presence
there, particularly the "vis-
ible evidence of military
strength that could be used"
helped bring about the
Lebanese national recon-
ciliation conference now
going on in Geneva. "We
can't be driven out by acts of
terrorism," Weinberger de-
clared.
Harold Jacobs, president
of the national council, told
Weinberger that his organ-
ization believes in a strong
United States defense, has
opposed the nuclear freeze
movement and has praised
the United States invasion
of Grenada.
The faces which have
charmed us the most escape
us the soonest.
— Walter Scott.
Bring a friend.
Donate Blood
together.
cross
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Red
72
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