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Friday, June 28, 1985
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
THE JEWISH NEWS
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CANDLELIGHTING AT 8:54 P.M.
VOL. LXXXVII, NO. 18
Terrorists In Orbit?
We are all for increased communications, but the space shuttle's
launching into orbit last week of a satellite owned by the Arab Satellite
Communications Organization troubles us. The communicaliz.4
organization is a consortium of 22 members. Among these is the Palestine
Liberation Organization, which reportedly owns about 6/10 of one percent of
the satellite.
Now, why a terrorist organization would invest in a satellite that is
ostensibly dedicated to such domestic communications as telephone and
- television is befuddling. NASA maintains that the satellite has no military
functions. But the space agency has yet to respond to a list of 44 questions
submitted by Senator Arlen Specter in which he asks, for example, whether
the satellite can eavesdi-op on other countries, who controls the satellite and
whether its orbit can be changed. Specter, is also worried that its functions
can be changed from domestic to military.
The Senate Commerce, Science and Technology Committee may hold
hearings on the satellite's launch later this summer. We encourage it to do
so. While NASA has launched other satellites for many other countries in
the past, none of them has been backed by a group similar to the PLO.
NASA's decision to go ahead with the launch may have violated U.S. law
prohibiting the aid and abetment of terrorists.
No Wedge
The Arab world is doing all it can to drive a wedge between Israel and
the U.S. during the latest hostage crisis. Arab leaders and their spokesmen
here are suggesting that the root cause of the terrorist outrage is America's
"carte blanche policy towards Israel," in the words of former Senator James
Abourezk, who now heads an Arab anti-defamation group in Washington.
He and others say that only when America adopts a more "even-handed"
Mideast policy will Palestinians and Muslims cease their desperate acts.
The danger is that many Americans, increasingly frustrated over
recent events, may blame Israel for the ongoing crisis.
We must remind our countrymen that both the U.S. and Israel share a
policy of not giving in to terrorist demands and have supported each other's
position since the TWA flight was hijacked. Jerusalem and Washington also
share a broad belief in human rights, democratic ideals and the need to
protect one's citizens. Let us hope that the current tragedy will convince the
U.S. to follow Israel's example of taking a firm stand on retaliation as Well.
Rational Policy-Making
Jewish Community Council President Leon Cohan struck a rational
note in his proclaimed policy of friendship-making with all elements in
the community. What he has outlined is rational Americanism. It is the
way neighbors must approach each other. It is by building goodwill that
the roots of honorable living-together can be continued and constantly
strengthened.
This applies to the inter-racial as well as the inter-religious aims of a
civilized society, and it has really been on the agenda of proper
community-building all the time. There was never reason for obstacles to
black-Jewish friendship and cooperation. The hand of friendship is
continuously extended to the Arab neighbors.
Therefore, what has been affirmed by the new Jewish Community
Council leadership is continuity of good citizenship.
OP-ED
Convenient Responsibility
For The TWA Skyjacking
BY VICTOR BIENSTOCK
Special to The Jewish News
A week or so into the TWA Flight
847 hijacking crisis, the Wall Street
Journal commented editorially that
our problem in the Middle East
"seems to be a State Department that
doesn't know its friends and a
President who doesn't know his
enemies."
One result of this situation was
the rapid spread of the concept that
the State of Israel bore priinary re-
sponsibility for the hijacking and was
liable for the fate of the American
hostages held by the Shiite terrorists
in Beirut. This, in turn, led to consid-
erable criticism of Israel and bitter
complaints that the Jewish state was
playing with American lives.
Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhak
Rabin, hopping mad, got to the TV
studio before the Jerusalem dawn one
morning for-a li-voappearance on Ted
Koppel's "Nightline" show to tell
Washington: "Stop playing games
with us. Tell us what you want us to
do and the Cabinet will consider it."
The minister did not mask his
anger at the State Department's con-
demnation of Israel's detention of
Lebanese Shiites in Israel as a viola-
tion of the Geneva accords. Some of
the prisoners had been seized for ter-
rorist acts against Israeli army units
and others detained to prevent them
from attacking the Israelis as they
evacuated Lebanon.
Originally, some 1,800 had been
detained. All but 766 were freed be-
fore the hijacking and the remainder
scheduled for early release. Of them,
only 570 were Shiites. The others
were Palestinians, Sunnis, Druze and
Christians.
Nabih Berri, head of the Shiite
Amal militia and self-appointed pro-
tector of the American hostages in Be-
irut, used the State Department
charge to equate the hijacking and
the Israeli detention of Shiite pris-
•
oners, putting the hijackers and the
Israel government on the same moral
and legal plane. The illegality charge
was accepted uncritically and almost
automatically by most of the media
and the passel of Middle East experts
brought onto the TV news and talk
shows to "explain" matters.
This should have been enough to
exasperate every Israeli but there
were other cogent reasons for Rabin's
obvious anger with Washington. One
was President Reagan's attempt to
shift responsibility for the safety of
the American hostages to Israel's
shoulders. Stressing that the United
States "will never make concessions
to terrorists" Reagan repeatedly in-
The White House did not
ro_orced to ask
Israel to knuckle under to
terrorists but was hopeful
that public opinion would
accomplish that result for
it.
sisted that the U.S. would neither
"ask nor pressure any other govern-
ment to do so."
To some observers, Mr. Reagan's
assertions were remniscent in intent
and effect of Mark Antony's funeral
oration and its repeated reference to
Caesar's slayers as honorable men.
The White House did not want to be
forced to ask Israel to knuckle under
to terrorists but was hopeful that pub-
lic opinion would accomplish that re-
sult for it.
The continued stress on the claim
that Israel could secure the release of
the American hostages by releasing
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