THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Friday, February 10, 1984 69

A Critical Look at ,Israel's Friend' Jeane Kirkpatrick

By VICTOR BIENSTOCK

McHenry (her immediate
predecessors). They were
liberals; she is a staunch
neo-conservative on foreign
policy issues."
Her political philos-
ophy, Finger says, "has
had a decisive impact on
her attitude and actions
at the United Nations."
He points out that she
has not hesitated to stand
alone on issues and has
done so with great reg-
ularity." She points out
that the United States
and Israel are the only
two countries which are
JEANE KIRKPATRICK
not members of geo-
graphic blocs. The non- rection of the American
aligned majority controls Mission, her failure to es-
the agenda and flow of tablish personal relation-
resolutions in the Gen- ships with the representa-
eral Assembly and, Mrs. tives of other nations, her
Kirkpatrick has pointed tendency to lecture the
out, has used the majority delegates and the fact that
to focus on Israeli-Arab she "filled the controlling
issues and others in upper echelons of her mis-
which the U.S. is in the sion — including all key
minority.
jobs — with people who
Their focus on anti- share her views."
Western issues, Finger
As a result, he claims, her
points out, has seriously team is "long on loyalty to
undermined confidence in Kirkpatrick and sharing
the United Nations among her neo-conservative views
Western peoples. The dis- but short on experience in
enchantment with the UN international diplomacy."
in the U.S., he says, "has
He gives her high
produced the Moynihan and marks for defanging the
Kirkpatrick reaction of em- anti-Israel resolution in
battled confrontation." • the Security Council
Finger is generally criti- sought by Iraq after the
cal of Mrs. Kirkpatrick's di- Israelis bombed the Iraqi
nuclear reactor near Be-
irut in 1981. "Under in-
structions from the State
Department to veto any
resolution involving
sanctions or other puni-
tive measures," Finger
says, "she negotiated a
condemnatory resolution
with Iraq that was mild
enough to be acceptable
to the United States."
In the handling of specific
issues at the United Na-
tions, "no U.S. representa-
tive has been a firmer friend
of Israel than Jeane
Kirkpatrick," Finger states
flatly. "She has not hesi-
tated to urge using the
American veto in the Secu-
rity Council or voting alone
with Israel when she be-
lieves that Israel is being
treated unfairly," he points
out.
"Given the Arab influ-
ence within the 'non-
aligned' movement, which
constitutes a majority of the
UN membership, along
with Soviet opportunism
and West European am-
bivalence, that is often."
"In the Security Council
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she has also used the poten-
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tial U.S. veto to secure
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changes in draft resolu-
tions. The resolution con-
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cerning Israel's attack on
the Iraqi nuclear reactor is a
notable example."
I NAME
As Finger points out,
ADDRESS
Mrs. Kirkpatrick has
greater initiative and in-
ZIP .....
STATE.
I CITY
dependence in the UN
post
than her predeces-
I FOR:
sors because of her
state occasion
standing in the Adminis-
tration and because the
FROM
policies she espouses
$18 enclosed
have to such a large ex-
tent been adopted by
President Reagan.

MIAMI — Ambassador
Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, our
"man at the United Na-
tions," is "the best represen-
tative Israel ever had," ac-
cording to "a knowledgeable
Israeli" quoted by former
Ambassador Seymour
Maxwell Finger in the
winter issue of Foreign Af-
fairs, the quarterly journal
published by the Council on
Foreign Relations.
Finger, a former Foreign
Service officer who served
with the American Mission
to the United Nations for 15
years, the last five with the
rank of ambassador, assays
the role of Mrs. Kirkpatrick
in an 11,000-word article in
Foreign Affairs extracted
from his book, "Your 'Man'
at the UN" to be published
later this year by the New
York University Press.
Ambassador Kirkpatrick,
he points out, "has repre-
sented a dramatic change in
style and approach (and in
her confrontational pre-
dilections from all previous
American UN ambas-
sadors- except for Daniel
Patrick Moynihan). Her
political philosophy, her
attitude toward the United
Nations and her relations
with the African delegates
in particular, are diametri-
cally oposed to those of An-
drew Young and Donald

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The former diplomat tion and the attempt by a strategy of confrontation
finds nothing unusual non-Arab country, Iran, to serves the interests neither
about Mrs. Kirkpatrick's bring the issue to a vote was of the United States nor the
stance on Israel. He refers to blocked. A similar attempt United Nations."
her husband's friendship to the 38th session in 1983
Nuclear Threat
with the late Hubert. Hum- was also defeated."
phrey but does not directly
Jeane
Kirkpatrick, Facing Israel
associate that relationship Finger says in summation,
NEW YORK — Unless ef-
with Mrs. Kirkpatrick's has lived up to her own
attitude. As he points out, criteria. "Her consistency, forts are made to prevent
"Support for Israel fits her seriousness and toughness the spread of nuclear
neo-conservative philsophy are respected by other dele- technology, some of Israel's
on foreign policy. Her per- gations. So is the fact that most ardent enemies will
sonal sympathy was made she clearly has the ear and have the capability by the
year 2000 to produce atomic
clear when she attended the support of the President."
weapons — thus threaten-
Third World Conference on
But overall, he reports, ing the very existence of the
Soviet Jewry in Jerusalem, most UN representatives
March 15-17, 1983. Israel is are critical of her per- Jewish state, according to
strong, a democracy and a formance. Her ideologi- an arms control specialist.
"While everyone is
firm friend of the United cal approach, he asserts,
States. And the blatant involves repeated con- against these nations hav-
one-sidedness of the UN frontations with Third ing the technology, Ameri-
majority on Arab-Israeli is- World representatives can Jews have a special
sues outrages her sense of which makes coopera- interest to see that it doesn't
said Ben Abelow
fair play."
tion difficult even for happen,"
of
Reform
Judaism's Reli-
Mrs. Kirkpatrick once friendly delegations. Her
made a comparison between speaking style, her lack gious Action Center in
the Camp David process and of diplomatic experience Washington, D.C. "This is
UN procedures, Finger re- and her relative inacces- the single most important
lates. While the former was sibility hamper her effec- threat to Israel, and too
oriented toward practical tiveness. Her top aides, many people are overlook-
results, she found at the UN especially her close ing it."
Abelow has spent the last
the objective was not to find ideological friends, also
month
speaking to 30
common ground but to iso- lack diplomatic and UN
different groups in the New
late and denigrate Israel experience.
York area about the threat
and "ultimately, to under-
Basically, Finger says, of nuclear war and what
mine its political legiti- the question is: should the
Americans can do to pre-
macy."
UN be primarily an area for vent it, following the
On ,one important sub- confrontation or a forum for
stantive issue — Israeli set- accommodation. "The ex- ABC-TV program "The Day
tlements on the West Bank perience of the Moynihan After," which depicted a nu-
— Finger declares, "Am- and Kirkpatrick incumben- clear war and its aftermath.
bassador Kirkpatrick has cies," he concludes, "ap-
Law governs man and
almost certainly played an pears to suggest that the reason the law.
important part in the U.S.
position significantly r
different than that of the
Carter Administration. She
has consistently vetoed
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resolutions condemning
these settlements while re-
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cording the Reagan position
Southfield, Mich. 48075-4491
that, though they are not il-
legal, they are 'obstacles to
peace.' "
Like her predecessors,
Finger reports, Mrs.
Kirkpatrick takes a "to-
tally firm and strong
stand against the re-
peated and blatantly un-
fair efforts of certain.
Arab states to deprive Is-
rael of the right to par-
ticipate in the UN Gen-
eral Assembly" by sus-
pension or expulsion. A
more likely threat, he
points out, is General As-
sembly action to deny Is-
rael participation by re-
jecting its delegation's
credentials as was done
with South Africa in 1974.
When such a move was
threatened in 1982, Finger
recalls, Secretary of State
George P. Shultz warned
that it would be a violation
Paste in old label
of the UN Charter and
"would do great damage to
the entire UN system."
Further, he served notice
that if the action were
taken, the U.S. would with-
draw from participation in
the General Assembly and
would withhold its assessed
contribution.
Mrs. Kirkpatrick and her
delegation, Finger adds,
"worked hard at persuasion
and the Secretary-General
lobbied against the attempt
to expel Israel, arguing that
NAME
it would mean disaster for
the organization. The
Effective Date
majority of the Arabs then
backed away from such ac-

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