LOSE WEIGHT
•
Learn Why Counseling
Makes the Difference!
Tension In Territories
Affects Jewish Views
WOLF BLITZER
Special to the Jewish News
T
he latest tensions in
the West Bank and
Gaza Strip have rein-
forced some important trends
in the American Jewish and
American Arab communities.
Although it is still too early
to draw any hard-and-fast
conclusions, if the riots con-
tinue there could be some
dramatic changes which
would seriously affect the
political scene and the shap-
ing of U.S. Middle East policy.
Embarrassed by the wide-
spread media image of the
ugly Israeli, American Jews
will almost automatically
become less gung-ho in their
pro-Israel political activity.
No one, however, should ex-
pect a significant chunk of
the Jewish community to
completely turn against
Israel.
While some intellectuals
and others will sign protest
letters, aligning themselves
with Peace Now-oriented
groups in Israel, more estab-
lishment Jewish leaders will
issue statements criticizing
various Israeli policies. It is
also likely that increasing
numbers of influential Amer-
ican Jews will become pas-
sive. Instead of defending
Israel, they will remain silent
in the face of what they
regard as unecessarily harsh
Israeli measures aimed at
restoring law and order in the
territories.
In the American Arab com-
munity, the riots appear to
have had an opposite effect.
The demonstrations in the
territories have become an in-
creasing source of pride for
American Arabs. They want
to get more involved, many
for the first time.
Over the years, the pro-
Arab lobby in Washington
proved no match for the pro-
Israel lobby, which was better
organized and financed, and
more sophisticated and com-
mitted. Americans of Arab
ancestry did not appear to
have the same zest for
political activity. They were
also outnumbered.
And within the American
Arab community, serious
splits between various groups
further added to their prob-
lems. The Lebanese Chris-
tians, for example, rarely
agreed with the Palestinians
or Syrians.
Their biggest handicap, of
course, was Palestinian ter-
rorism. Americans — even
American Arabs — had a
tough time justifying the
planting of bombs in super-
markets or the hijacking of
airliners.
But recently, groups such as
the National Association of
Arab Americans (NAAA) and
the American-Arab Anti-
Discrimination Committee
(ADC) have begun to make a
modest impact on the politics
of Washington. They have
been especially active in try-
ing to influence American
blacks and the national news
media, and they have scored
some points in the process.
They still have a long way
to go in catching up with the
Jewish community. In recent
weeks, for instance, nothing
could be done to prevent the
Congress from overwhelming-
ly voting in favor of legisla-
tion — attached to the
broader State Department
authorization bill — to shut
down the PLO's offices in
Washington and New York.
But American Arab spokes-
men, led • by former
Democratic Senator James
Abourezk of South Dakota
and Dr. James Zogby, have
managed to make their pres-
ence felt in Washington.
Stories about the American
Jewish community's drive to
gain support for Israel have
been coupled recently by
similar stories about the
American Arab community.
It is too early to conclude if
these trends will radically
alter the face of American
politics. In the past, for exam-
ple, there have been other mo-
ments when the tide of public
opinion appeared to turn.
But Israeli leaders should
be alert to the long-term ef-
fects.
THE
NATURAL
WAY TO
TO LOSE
• NO
SHOTS
• NO
CONTRACTS
W. BLOOMFIELD 855-3430
TROY
435-5555
SOUTHFIELD
569-2669
0
• QUICK SERVICE
Paint & Collision
• TOWING & THEFT
WORK-RENTALS
• GREAT COLOR MATCH
Foreign & Domestic
INSURANCE & FLEET
g •
Maxie Collision Inc.
,
32581 Northwestern Highway, Farmington Hills, MI 48018
(313) 737-7122
JIM FLEISCHER, Proprietor
88
SPRING
and
SUMMER •
• •
fabrics are here!
Send Someone
Special a Gift
52 Weeks a Year.
Send a gift
subscription to
THE
JEWISH NEWS!
VISIT US AND WE'LL CUSTOM
CREATE A TASTEFUL AND
ENDURING WARDROBE FOR YOU
669.1440
PAMELA S\VIT, LTD
complimentary consultation • alterations
Spokesman
Defeats Veto
Washington (JTA) — State
Department spokesman
Charles Redman said Tues-
day that the United States
vetoed Monday's U.N. Securi-
ty Council resolution criticiz-
ing Israel's Jan. 2 air raid in
southern Lebanon "because it
lacked balance."
While he noted U.S. support
for Lebanon's territorial in-
tegrity, Redman said, "Peace
cannot come to South
Lebanon until the border bet-
ween Israel and Lebanon is
secure." He added that U.N.
resolutions dealing with
Israel's presence in Lebanon
"cannot be productive until
the cyclical nature of the
violence is acknowledged and
ended."
Mon., Tues., Fri. & Sat. 10-5:30; Wed. & Thurs. 10-8:00
31205 Orchard Lake Rd. at 14 Mile• In Hunters Square
Farmington Hills
737°7970