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CANDLELIGHTING AT 8:15 P.M.
VOL. LXXXIX, NO. 25
Get Tough With The Source
America prides itself on taking action against countries threatening the
lives of our citizens, with the bombing of Libya the most recent example. But
there are countries in South America that help contribute to the deaths of
more Americans than all terrorist groups combined and we not only take no
action against them but seek large foreign aid increases for them.
We're referring to countries like Bolivia, Columbia and Peru, from which
huge quantities of deadly and illegal drugs, primarily cocaine, are shipped to
the U.S.
While President Reagan went on television to declare that the drug
epidemic in America is "a threat to our national security," his Administration
has not sought a linkage between American aid and cooperation to reduce the
export of illegal drugs.
Certainly the issue of narcotics cannot be the only factor in determining
the U.S. policy, but it seems inconsistent to deplore the growing danger of
drug imports while advocating aid increases for countries that lead in
drug-trafficking.
Bush Talks
The Jewish News was honored to be one of only five American Jewish
newspapers to be invited to a White House interview with Vice President
Bush last week upon his return from a 10-day visit to Israel, Jordan and
Egypt. (See story, page 32). As Editor Gary Rosenblatt reports, the interview,
like the Vice President's trip, may have been more symbolic than
substantive, but itreflects the increasingly important role of the Jewish press
in this country in reporting on and interpreting major events affecting the
Jewish community in the U.S., Israel and around the world.
The Vice President took the opportunity to seek to convey to the
American Jewish community his support of Israel and his analysis of the
Mideast problems. What is significant is that he recognized the value of
reaching such an audience through the Jewish press, and we hope he and
other key officials of the Administration, including the President, will
continue to recognize this important medium.
OP-ED
`Star Wars' Agreement:
No Blessing For Israel?
AMIRAM EFRATI
ft
n recent weeks, the governments of
Israel and the United States signed
an agreement to cooperate in re-
search related to President Reagan's
Strategic Defense Initiative, the so-
called "Star Wars" program. Within
most of the American Jewish press an
impression has been generated that all
of Israel supports this agreement, that
Star Wars cooperation - will be to the
benefit of Israel, etc. But, is this really
so?
Participation in Star Wars re-
, search and development would entail
the long-term commitment of some of
the best and brightest of Israel's scien-
tific talent to the needs of the U.S.
military-industrial-governmental
complex. It would also mean that, for
the first time, the State of Israel would
be directly involved in a program that
posed a major threat (real or implied)
to the other superpower, the Soviet
Union. Obviously, this would seri-
ously exacerbate Israel-Soviet ten-
sions, thereby raising a possibly deci-
sive barrier to Israeli-Arab peace
negotiations.
At the same time, such
heightened tensions between the
Soviet Union and the State of Israel
could seriously compromise the posi-
tion of the approximately two million
Jews now living in the USSR.
At a time when many leaders of
America's biggest allies remain un-
committed, at a time when Western
public opinion is increasingly dubious
of the logic behind Star Wars, why
must Israel's leaders rush to commit
themselves and their country to this
program?
I
Amiram Efrati is the political
representative of Mapam (the United
Workers' Party of Israel) to the United
States and Canada.
Even in the United States, this
remains a very controversial program.
One does not have to read Ncuclear
Times; it is in the pages of any major
American newspaper. Many of Israel's
staunchist supporters oppose Star
Wars, arguing that it is a stupend-
ously expensive escalation of the arms
race, which would leave America's se-
curity diminished, rather than in-
creased. Why should Israel risk
: Zs
Heightened tensions
between the Soviet Union
and Israel could seriously
compromise the two
million Jews living in the
USSR
alienating many of her strongest sup-
porters in the United States by this
agreement?
Numerous analysts, both in the
United States and in Israel, are con-
cerned about the nature of the rela-
tionship between Israel and the
United States, and its effect upon Is-
rael's freedom of action. The indepen-
dence of action and policy that the
State of Israel needs to guide .herself
through the rough waters of Middle
East diplomacy may be hampered by
the warm embrace of her friend in the
West. At the same time, Israel's
policies will be increasingly dictated,
not by the needs of Israeli security and
regional peace and stability, but
rather by one side in the East-West
conflict. In the long run, Israel may not
gain as much as some Israeli officials
— or friends of Israel abroad — think.
It remains to be seen what the incom-
ing Likud-led "National Unity Gov-
ernment" will do with the SDI Agree-
ment signed by their predecessors.
.