YEAR IN REVIEW 5749 YEAR IN REVIEW
ISSUES

LT. COL. WILLIAM HIGGINS,

44, was purportedly hanged
by his pro-Iranian captors in
Lebanon in retaliation for
Israel's abduction of a Moslem
sheik. But American experts
concluded that Higgins was
most likely killed before
the Israeli abduction.

ISRAEL'S ABDUCTION of Shi'ite

Moslem Sheik Obeid from
his apartment in Lebanon
sparked an international
controversy over terrorism and
hostages. Some American
leaders, including Senator
Robert Dole, criticized Israel
for endangering American
lives, while many Americans
supported Israel's effort to
strike back at terrorists.

SALMAN RUSHDIE became famous, or infamous, when his novel, "The Satanic Verses," provoked

Islamic fundamentalists to issue a death threat for the novelist, who went into hiding in London.

JOSEPH CARDINAL GLEMP

of Poland exacerbated the
Auschwitz convent controversy
among Catholics as well as
Jews when he expressed anti-
Semitic statements in blaming
Jews for the stalemate.

up the peace process and aban-
don violence. But to the frustra-
tion of Israeli officials, the PLO
has increased its diplomatic
stature tremendously by talking
soothingly to the West while
reassuring its own constituen-
cies that its diplomatic machina-
tions are simply part of a two-

54

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1989

stage plan to destroy Israel:
gain a foothold through a small
Palestinian state, then use that
turf as a means of launching an
attack on the Jewish state.
Differences over the PLO, and
its credibility, contributed to
tensions between the United
States and Israel during a year
that saw national elections in
the two countries take place

CARMELITE CONVENT

at the Auschwitz death
camp sparked a
worldwide controversy
when Catholic clergy

reneged on their pledge
to relocate the convent.
Catholic-Jewish
relations grew tense
over the issue.

within a week of each other.
Israelis, who gave high marks to
Ronald Reagan during his
tenure, were supportive of
George Bush; American Jews
tended to favor the Labor Party
. in Israel's elections. But in fact,

two-thirds of American Jews
voted for Michael Dukakis, and
more Israelis favored Likud over
Labor.
Jerusalem was wary of George
Bush, never considered par-
ticularly pro-Israel during his
many years in politics, and was
equally anxious about John
Sununu as chief of staff and
James Baker as secretary of
state. Baker's address this
spring to the American Israel
Public Affairs Committee's an-