— .- 00AINWer
32
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, February 1, 1985
BARRY'S
LETS RENT
IT
SHARI-LYNN
CLEANERS
PARTY RENTALS
ALL OCCASIONS
13741 W. 11 Mile Rd.
•
1 BIk. W. of Coolidge
I 855.0480
29212 ORCHARD LAKE RD.
South of 13 We
542-2555
JEWISH
NEWS
let your words
do the talking
in the
Call The Jewish News Advertising
Department at 354-6060
N...
Favorite Favors
Z.-
,ei`
I ,
PARTY PLANNERS
Centerpieces — Rentals
Favors — Paper Accessories
Invitations and Stationery
20% OFF
22600 Saratoga Drive #202, Southfield
By Appt. Only 557-2990
Bev Kurtis
Doris Cornfield
stumped for a
valentine's gift?!?
make this valentine's day and any special occasion unique
with a gift from
the ultimate basket
stacy goldstein
626-4614
665-7367
delivery nationwide
-
11.11110111WINAliaR.,
T6T6T6R
Doctors of Internal Medicine
STEVEN _GRANT M.D.
NICHOLAOS MAKRIS M.D.
LOWELL PAUL M.D.
offer
FREE
transportation to and from our
office for Senior Citizens
and Shut-Ins.
Available in Farmington Hills,
West Bloomfield area.
FOR INFORMATION CALL:
626-6500
Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
111111111111 9MMUMM9SUSLQQ9S936
CAPITOL REPORT
WOLF BLITZER
The Diplomatic Talk Of Washington
What do people in Washing-
ton talk about these days at an
Israeli Embassy diplomatic re-
ception?
Reporters and other guests
had a chance to find out when
Ambassador Meir Rosenne
hosted a wine and hors d' oeuvre
party to bid farewell to the Em-
bassy's popular congressional
liaison, Oded Eran, who is retur-
ning to the Foreign Ministry in
Jerusalem. It was also an oppor-
tunity to introduce his succes-
sor, Neville Lamdan, to the
Washington scene.,
There were scores of Repub-
lican and Democratic senators,
representatives and congres-
sional staffers at the affair — as
well as many Jewish political ac-
tivists involved in promoting
strong U.S.-Israeli ties on Capi-
tol Hill.
Among those who came to say
goodby to Eran were Democrat-
ic Senators Daniel Inouye of
Hawaii, Howard Metzenbaum
of Ohio, Frank Lautenberg of
New Jersey and the recently-
elected Paul Simon of Illinois.
They were joined by Democratic
Congressmen Larry Smith of
Florida, Mel Levine of California
and many others. The White
House liaison to the Jewish
community, Marshall Breger, a
Republican, was also present.
Over the years, the job of con-
gressional liaison at the em-
bassy has become increasingly
important. He is charged with
monitoring Congressional ac-
tivity and sentiment regarding
Israel and the Middle East. Con-
gress, of course, plays a crucial
role in shaping U.S. foreign poli-
cy. But understanding its ins
and outs is one of the most com-
plex aspects of Washington.
There are 100 senators and
435 representatives plus thou-
sands of staffers involved in the
complicated process of lawmak-
ing. Following the sessions of
the various committees and sub-
committees dealing with foreign
affairs seems never-ending. The
parliamentary procedures can
be mind boggling. Getting a real
grip on the subject takes years.
Thus, the congressional liaison
is certainly one of the most chal-
lenging jobs at the Israeli Em-
bassy. Lamdan, by all accounts
a talented diplomat with a solid
track record in the Foreign Min-
istry, will not have it easy.
In recent years, Israel has
been blessed with some first-rate
operatives who have filled that
role — Amos Eran, Zvi Rafiah
and Yitzhak Lior to name three
of the best. They established
contacts on Capitol Hill which
proved invaluable for Israel to
this very day.
Besides most of the accredited
Israeli diplomats and military
attaches in Washington, there
were also several officials from
the Democratic and Republican
National Committees at the re-
ception. The Embassy's con-
gressional liaison is charged
with dealing with these groups.
That has meant attending the
parties' national conventions
every four years as well as many
other mini-conferences in be-
tween.
In dealing directly with Con-
gress, by the way, the Israeli
Embassy is doing exactly what
virtually every other embassy in
Washington does. The British,
French and even Soviet Embas-
sies have specialists assigned to
Capitol Hill — just as the U.S.
Embassy in Tel Aviv has politi-
cal officers who regularly work
the Knesset.
Thus, the reception was clear-
ly top heavy in politicos. That,
in turn, was reflected in the con-
versations. The main subjects —
beyond the normal gossip of
bureaucratic infighting in Wash-
ington — included the plight of
Ethiopian Jewry, Ariel Sharon's
libel suit against Time maga-
zine, the Israeli economy, and
other issues which have lately
received enormous puulicity in
the U.S. news media. i'or the
most part, the day's newspaper
headlines and television news
broadcasts continue to shape
political discourse in the U.S.
capital.
There was also talk of more
specific issues involving Israel
and Congress, such as the forth-
coming 1986 fiscal year foreign
aid bill which President Reagan
is about to release as well as any
new arms sales to Saudi Arabia
and other "moderate" Arab
states. Congress, under U.S.
law, can play a critical role in af-
fecting the final outcome on
both of those matters.
There was no shortage of opin-
ions, although a consensus
among many of the staunchly
pro-Israeli Americans at the
reception seemed to emerge on
the matter of increased U.S.
economic and military aid to
Israel. They agreed that the
position taken' by Secretary of
State George Schultz, ultimate-
ly, would be decisive.
Shultz is highly respected on
Capitol Hill. He is regarded as
a strong supporter of Israel. He
is also an economist. If he push-
es for aid increases to Israel,
Congress can be expected to fol-
low suit. But if he hesitates, the
Israeli program will be in trou-
ble.
Some things said at the recep-
tion were not exactly what
Prime Minister Shimon Peres
and others in Jerusalem would
like to hear. There was broad
agreement that Israel will have
to be considerably more convin-
cing in coming to grips with its
inflationary and budget head-
aches.
People in Washington are
waiting for more sweeping aus-
terity measures and structural
changes in the Israeli economy.
Shultz is far from certain that
Israel has done everything pos-
sible to get its house in order.
The Secretary, after all, will
have to testify before the House
and the Senate in support of the
aid to Israel. What he says will
be critical in shaping the atti-
tudes of tough-minded legisla-
tors who are pressing hard to
curtail America's own growing
budget deficit. The U.S. econo-
my and dollar may be very strong
right now, but the mood in
Washington is determined to
cut federal spending across the
board. This, therefore, is not ex-
actly the most propitious mo-
ment for Israel to appeal for in-
creased financial assistance.
There was also a sort of resig-
nation among many of the
guests that President Reagan
would propose a new F-15 fight-
er sale to Saudi Arabia in the
coming months, probably in-
volving 40 additional planes
plus all sorts of related hard-
ware and missiles. There was no
clear strategy expressed at the
reception about how Israel and
its friends in Congress should
best respond. Again, Israel was
likey to be faced with a no-win
situation. Strongly resisting the
sale would seriously irritate the
Administration at a time when
Israel is more dependent on U.S.
support than ever before. But
those planes also could pose a
long-term danger to Israel's
qualitative edge in aerial com-
bat. Thus, there are pitfalls
either way.
The main subjects
included the plight of
Ethiopian Jewry,
Ariel Sharon's libel
suit against Time
magazine, the Israeli
economy and other
issues .. .
.
The betting, • however, was
that Jordan would not do well in
Washington this year. King
Hussein, they felt, would prob-
ably turn to Britain in the corn-
ing months for new fighters.
Saudi Arabia would be asked to
finance such a deal. There is no
great political desire in the Rea-
gan Administration to push
hard for an F-16 sale to Jordan
right now. And Jordan is not all
that anxious to go with the less
sophisticated F-20.
There was considerable appre-
hension about the Ethiopian
Jews with a general recognition
that the less said publicly about
the matter right now. the better.
Many voices in Congress have
spoken out through private dip-
lomatic channels in callin ; for
some action. Their voices have
been heard in various African
countries which are ei ;remely
sensitive to their own i .ages in
Washington, especially in con-
nection with U.S. fo: t aid.
The lawmakers, how=. v. r, are
refraining from goint_ :,uUic at
this time.
Sharon, by the way, lay not
be the most popular Is .:ieli in
Washington, but at the recep-
tion, most of the Ame,..icans
were basically hoping he would
smash Time, which has long had
a reputation among the pro-
Israeli crowd in the United