Arab-Americans Split
On Presidential Politics
DAVID HOLZEL
Staff Writer
I
s the Rev. Jesse Jackson
the darling of the Arab-
American community?
Not entirely.
Jackson, who ran a strong
campaign in the Democratic
presidential primaries, won
the support of many Arab
Americans for his position in
favor of Palestinian
self-determination.
But one prominent Arab
American rejects Jackson's
approach to the Middle East.
"Jesse Jackson's politics are a
politics of polarization and
that is not a formula of suc-
cess," New Hampshire Gov.
John Sununu told Sada
Alwatan.
The most recent issue of the
Dearborn-based Arab-
American newspaper pits
Arab Republicans like
Sununu against Arab
Democrats like former Sen.
James Abourezk. In separate
James Abourezk:
Supporting Dukakis
articles, Arab-American
domestic concerns and the
Middle East are treated along
partisan lines.
Labor Solicitor George
Salem, a Palestinian
American and a Bush sup-
porter, said that the United
States' consistent denial of
arms sales to Arab states is
the fault of the Democratic-
controlled Congress and not a
reflection of a Republican
anti-Arab bias.
Asked about the strongly
pro-Israel Republican plat-
form, which rules out the
creation of a Palestinian
state, Salem said that one
should disregard the platform
and look at Bush's career,
which has been pro Arab on
many issues.
"You have to remember
that he's also dealing with a
campaign situation and try-
ing to get elected," Salem
said.
Sununu, who has been
mentioned as a Cabinet ap-
pointee in a Bush administra-
tion, said Bush has the ex-
perience, the background and
the stature to negotiate a
peaceful solution to the Mid-
dle East problem.
Attacking the GOP,
Abourezk said Republican op-
position to a Palestinian state
is illogical and is designed to
please Jewish voters and
contributors.
He admitted that most
Arab Americans believe Bush
is better than Dukakis for the
Arab world. "But Arabs are
not the only ones who have
voted against their own in-
terests in the past. Even Jews
have been accused of doing so
by staying with the
Democratic Party."
Abourezk, a founder and
chairman of the American-
Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee, said Arabs
should support the
Democratic ticket because of
the party's "responsiveness to
human rights violations, with
the momentary exception of
Israel.
"We have to learn to vote
not only for our interests with
respect to the Middle East,
but also for some kind of
justice in other parts of the
world," he said.
Dukakis is the second
choice of many Arab
Americans because his wife,
Kitty, is Jewish, Abourezk
said.
"I personally reject the no-
tion that a candidate should
be judged on the basis of who
he's married to. I judge people
not on how they're born, but
on how they behave. For any
Arab to do otherwise is both
morally and physically
suicidal," Abourezk said.
All three men advocated
greater participation in the
political process as the way to
advance the Arab American
agenda.
How Would
Yordim Vote?
Los Angeles (JTA) — If the
100,000 or so Israelis living in
the Los Angeles area could
have voted Tuesday, they
would have likely split their
support fairly evenly between
the Labor Party and Likud,
according to a newspaper poll
and interviews with a dozen
Israelis.
A telephone survey of some
230 israelis, conducted by the
local Hebrew weekly
Hadashot L.A., found that
110 would vote for the Align-
ment, 100 for Likud.
.
"I've always taken care of myself..."
Just because you're older
doesn't mean you're any less
capable. I've always looked
out for myself. That's why I spent a little extra time
looking at apartments. Franklin Club Apartments
looked like the best to me. They have over 10 years
of experience and a long list of services that make
it easier to take care of myself.
If you're looking for a place that cares, call
353-2810 to arrange a tour and complimentary
lunch.
I
FRANKLIN
CLUB APARTMENTS
An Adult Community
28301 Franklin Road
Southfield, Michigan 48034
(313) 353-2810
Rental Rates —
from $640 including
utilities, emergency
monitoring system,
activities, transportation
and wellness center.
Optional meals and
housekeeping also available.
Ask About Our Unique
Cost Saving Snowbird Offer
New
Arrivals
European crafted cribs and
furniture plus unique bed-
ding and accessories pro-
vide the ideal background
for that Very Important
Baby. Bellini also offers
youth furniture that grows
with your child.
1875 S. WOODWARD • BIRMINGHAM 48011
1 Block North of 14 Mile
644-0525
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
15