THE JEWISH NEWS
THIS ISSUE 60(P
SERVING DETROIT'S JEWISH COMMUNITY
AUGUST 12, 1988 / 29 AV 5748
Hussein's About-Face
A Disaster For Peres
HELEN DAVIS
Israel Correspondent
Question: Where has Israel's
Labor Party leader Shimon Peres
been left following the decision by
King Hussein to sever his links with
the West Bank?
Answer: Up the creek without a
paddle.
The Labor Party leader, facing an
election in less than three months,
had gambled everything on per-
suading Israelis that the Jordanian
monarch was the only realistic, credi-
ble, willing partner for peace.
A victory for Labor in the
November election, he reasoned,
would enable him to exercise the "Jor-
danian option."
It would allow him to enter
negotiations with Hussein aimed at
achieving peace with Jordan, a solu-
tion to the Palestinian problem and
a final settlement of the contentious
West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The groundwork for such negotia-
tions was laid in April last year when
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas
Pickering set up a secret meeting in
London, where Peres and Hussein
hammered out a mutually acceptable
formula for peace talks.
According to this pact, known as
the "London Agreement," negotia-
tions would be held between Israel
and Jordan under the auspices of an
international conference.
While Peres acceded to Hussein's
demand for an international um-
brella to the talks, Hussein agreed to
two key Peres demands: that the in-
ternational conference would have no
powers to impose a settlement; and
that there would be no role for the
PLO. Instead, the Jordanian
negotiating team would include non-
PLO Palestinians.
The agreement, however, was
stymied by Yitzhak Shamir, the
Likud leader and Prime Minister,
who rejected any international um-
brella for peace talks and insisted on
Camp David-style direct negotiations,
with the possible mediation of the
United States.
Most of the permanent members
of the United Nations Security Coun-
cil who would constitute the interna-
tional conference, he said, were in-
herently hostile to Israel. They would
inevitably impose unbearable
pressures and, ultimately, a settle-
Continued on Page 18
Judge Cohn Named
1988 Butzel Honoree
In recognition of his dedication to
Judge Cohn also is the first
Detroit's civic and Jewish communal Federation Young Adult Division past
life, Avern Cohn will receive the Fred president to receive the Butzel Award.
M. Butzel Memorial Award at the He served in 1952 when the group
Jewish Welfare Federation's 62nd an- was known as the Junior Division.
nual meeting on Sept. 29 at Adat
Cohn sits on the board of United
Shalom Synagogue.
Jewish Charities. He is a past vice
The Butzel Award is the Detroit president and executive committee
Jewish community's highest honor member of the Jewish Community
for distinguished service.
Council and served on many agency
A federal court judge for the boards. He is also a past national vice
Eastern District of Michigan, Cohn president of the American Jewish
has a long record of service to Detroit Committee and has served on the
and its Jewish community.A past board of trustees of the United Israel
president of Federation, he is also a Appeal.
past chairman of Federation's Ex-
Last year, the Cohn family en-
ecutive Committee, on which he con- . dowed a fund named for Irwin and
tinues to serve. He also is a past chair- Sadie Cohn to enable the Hebrew
man of the National and Community Free Loan Association to assist in-
Relations Agencies budgeting and dividuals with special needs. The
planning division.
family has contributed other funds for
For the first time, the award is be- agencies and organizations, as well as
ing presented to a second generation civic causes.
Cohn is a recipient of the Zionist
of Butzel honorees: Judge Cohn's
father, the late Irwin Cohn, received Organization of America's Justice
the award in 1961.
Continued on Page 22
riter William ova Pul s o
the "as told to" coup of the year:
The first Lad 's memoirs