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16
FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1988
impasse.
Baum said an international
conference poses the oppor-
tunity of addressing one of
Israel's most difficult pro-
blems: demographics.
Experts have charted the
steady increase of the Arab
population within Israel and
in the West Bank and Gaza,
Baum said. Shamir ignores
these figures, he said, but has
not offered any studies that
prove the opposite.
Not to address the
demographic issue means fac-
ing the possibility that Israel
will lose either its Jewish
character or its democratic
nature, which Baum called
"two unacceptible alter-
natives."
Baum did not, however, ad-
vocate immediately abandon-
ing the West Bank and Gaza.
On the contrary. Such a move
would result in the PLO tak-
ing control, he said, and the
PLO has yet to renounce its
covenant which calls for over-
taking all of Israel.
"Just to return the ter-
ritories and walk out is to be
grossly reckless and grossly
irresponsible with Israel's
security," he said.
Baum, active since 1949 in
the AJC, stressed the impor-
tance of addressing problems
in the Middle East now
because he sees "a growing
impatience on the part of the
American Jewish community
for some kind of movement in
the area of peace."
He said that the question of
whether Jews in the United
States have the right to speak
out on Israel is moot.
"Nobody, nobody argues that
American Jews shouldn't
have opinions," he said.
Instead, the question
should be "To whom should
those opinions be addressed?"
Baum said, calling the issue
not one of right, but one of
wisdom.
In an interview, Baum
discussed the wisdom of the
AJC's decision to issue its
statement regarding the in-
ternational peace conference.
• He said the statement was
directed toward the Israeli
and American Jewish com-
munities — not the general
public. No press conferences
were held and no full-page
ads were taken out in The
New York Times.
In short, the AJC's move
was not kept secret, but it was
not actively promoted. It is an
important distinction and a
very necessary one, Baum
said.
Baum stressed that the
statement was not intended
to represent the opinion of the
entire U.S. Jewish communi-
ty. "When the American
Jewish Congress speaks, it
speaks for itself and has no
ambition to speak for anyone
else," he said.
In issuing the statement,
the AJC was "responding to
the notion that something
ought to be done" toward ad-
vancing the peace process. He
said the AJC never intended
to pressure Israel or to
mobilize congressional senti-
ment to force Israel to act a
certain way.
A solution will only come
about through negotiations
Phil Baum:
Seeking a credible partner.
between Israel and a "credi-
ble, viable partner" who can
deliver what he promises,
Baum said.
Not surprisingly, Baum
said he seeks actions, not
words, from the Palestinian
community. Scoffing at
rumors that PLO Chief Yassir
Arafat recognizes United Na-
tions Resolutions 242 and
338, Baum said, "this is play-
ing games" and "the time has
passed for testing the waters."
Time also has passed for
hoping the demographic pro-
blem will be solved by vast
waves of Americans making
aliyah, Baum said. He label-
ed such a proposition "vi-
sionary and Quixotic."
At the close of his speech at
Shaarey Zedek, Baum ex-
pressed concern about the
voice Jews in the United
States have today. As little as
15 years ago, for a politician
to express criticism of Israel
almost certainly resulted in
his ostracization by the
American public, Baum said.
'May, one presidential can-
didate — the Rev. Jesse
Jackson — is openly critical of
Israel.
This becomes all the more
disconcerting when consider-
ing the headway Arab groups
are making, Baum said. He
noted that the Arab Anti-
Discrimination League even