EDITORIAL
The Wrong Deal
The Reagan Administration's latest proposal to sell more arms to
Saudi Arabia and other. Arab states will not receive much opposition in
Congress. But that doesn't mean it's a good idea.
The lack of vocal opposition only underscores the damage to
U.S.-Israel relations caused by the Pollard spy scandal and Israel's role
in the Iran-Contra affair. Supporters of Israel in Congress and the
pro-Israel lobby in Washington are loathe to create an intense public
effort to stop the sales, feeling this is hardly an opportune time to
cause more friction in the relationship between Israel and the U.S.
The Administrtion plans to sell the Saudis $200 million in
electronic jaaming equipment for American-built F-15 and F-5 jet
fighters, $400 million worth of helicopters, $450 million worth of
armored personnel carriers, as well as radar, air-to-ground missiles
and other equipment. Additional arms will be sold to Egypt, Jordan
and Bahrain.
Sen. Arlen Spector (R-Pa.) and Rep. Larry Smith (D-Fla.) plan
efforts to block delivery of certain items but overall, pro-Israel leaders
are seeking to avoid a confrontation. This is understandable from a
political point of view, but unfortunate. U.S. arms sales to Arab
countries continue to be the wrong approach to the problem. If the goal
is peace and stabiity, why fan the flames of conflict?
An arms deal only escalates the frantic efforts in the region for
each state to arm itself to the teeth, heightening expenses and
increasing the chances for an ever-more deadly encounter.
judge, in view of the fact that people like Secretary of Defense Caspar
Weinberger accused Pollard of being the most dangerous spy in
American history.
But when John Walker is given a 25-year sentence for selling U.S.
military secrets to the Soviets, our most feared adversary, how does it
follow that Pollard should be given a life sentence for spying for our
most important military ally in the Mideast? Is it not reasonable to
think that some of the secrets Pollard obtained should have been
shared with Jerusalem to begin with?
This is not to suggest that Pollard is innocent. Indeed, what he did
was illegal --he knew that from the outset — and he shoud pay for
his crime. But let us not be caught up in the hysteria of "dual loyalty"
charges. At a time of crisis, American Jewish leaders have an
increased responsibility to measure their words carefully. In their
haste to show their contempt for Pollard, they neglected to speak out
against the inequity of his sentence.
Pollard Posturing
Much has been written about the Pollard spy scandal, but there is
more that needs to be said.
In particular, some American Jewish leaders have gone so far in
distancing themselves from the Pollards as to lose sight of the fact that
the life sentence Jonathan Pollard received was excessive.
The truth is that Pollard had entered a plea-bargaining agreement
with the prosecution which undertook to ask for a substantial sentence
rather than life imprisonment. That agreement was overruled by the
LETTERS
Illegitimate
Rights?
Israel's Foreign Minister
Shimon Peres according to
The Jewish News (March 6)
met in Cairo with Egyptian
leaders and agreed to hold an
international conference for
the purpose they said in their
joint statements to resolve
the Middle East conflict in-
cluding the "legitimate rights
of the Palestinian people".
What was Peres talking
about? What Palestinian
people? What legitimate
rights?...
The claim of "centuries" of
Arab "Palestinian" history is
a lie. Their history goes back
only to the 1960's when some
Arabs first proclaimed them-
selves a "Palestinian people."
Before that, Jews had been
known as the Palestinians...
Further, there already is
an independent Arab Pales-
tine State. That is the King-
dom of Jordan established in
1946 by the British who split
Palestine along the Jordan
River and forbid Jews to live,
own property or visit east of
§ Friday, March 27, 1987
the river. Arab. Palestine
Jordan is four times the size
of Israel with only half the
population.
Those are the facts. There
is no history, language or
culture to distinguish a so-
called "Palestinian people" as
being separate and distinct
from an Arab people. Shimon
Peres must know all this. Is
he afraid to speak the truth?
Does he feel his "peace proc-
ess" requires accepting the
Arab revision of history even
though it undermines the
right of Israel to exist?
Esther Eichner
Vice Chairman,
Metro-Detroit Chapter,
Americans For a Safe Israel
South African
Comments Unfair
Dr. Theodore Pearlman,
formerly of South Africa and
now living in Houston, asked
that I send you the enclosed
response to Arthur J. Magi-
da's article, "What Are Afri-
can Jews Doing about Apar-
theid?" (March 6), reporting
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
on the comments of Rabbi
Ben Isaacson of Johannesberg
and Rev. Zachariah Mok-
goebo of the Black Dutch Re-
formed Church in Soweto
made in Detroit.
Like Dr. Pearlman, I am
incensed by the propaganda
portrayed by Rabbi Isaacson
and Rev. Mokgoebo. I have
made three visits during the
past ten years (one a sabbati-
cal) and I -find their state-
ments quite unfair. It is no
wonder that the Jews of
South Africa do not want to
hear Rabbi Isaacson.
wouldn't either.
Ralph Slovenko
Professor of Law and Psychiatry
Wayne State University
In their criticism of or-
ganized South African Jewry
failing to take a more aggres-
sive stand against apartheid,
Rabbi Ben Isaacson and Rev.
Zachariah Mokgoebo glibly
pass over the thousands of
South African Jews who in-
conspicuously, in their own
quiet way, have both ren-
dered assistance to unfortu-
nate victims of apartheid,
and who have struck small
blows, all compounding to
progressively dismantle that
odious system of racial dis-
criminationx
I wish to stand up and be
counted by the likes of Rabbi
Isaacson and Rev. Mokgoebo
whose political vision of
anti-apartheid activity limits
itself to the actions of those
who have been branded as
communists by the South Af-
rican government. It be-
hooves my South African
countrymen — Rabbi Isaac-
son and Rev. Mokgoebo — to
look around far and wide and
focus upon the many indi-
vidual South African Jews
who have done their share
and are still doing much to
eliminate racial discrimina-
tion.
In my current role as a re-
cently naturalized American
citizen I find myself, in a
land where there is no
statutory apartheid, cham-
pioning the cause of blacks
much as I did in the land of
my birth. There is no statut-
ory apartheid in the United
States, but who will deny
that white/black discrimina-
tion exists? How else can one
explain the higher infant
mortality rate amongst
blacks, the higher incidence
of poverty and social illness
amongst the blacks and les-
ser opportunities for ad-
vancement in life that I have
witnessed in this country.
The tragedy of the South Af-
rican apartheid problem is its
statutory endorsement. It is
armchair hypocrisy to attack
statutory South African apar-
theid without greater effort
being made to eliminate
non-statutory apartheid in
the United States.
Dr. Theodore Pearlman
Houston, Texas
The Pollards And
The Rosenbergs
With all the negative news
stories being released con-
cerning Jonathan Pollard and
Israel regarding the recent
spy scandal, some words in
his behalf seem appropriate.
Certainly, in retrospect, it is
easy to condemn the bad
K