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38
FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 1990
Herb's
Heimish
Headed For A Showdown
With Washington?
JAMES D. BESSER
Washington Correspondent
T
he formation of a
narrow Likud-led
government in
Jerusalem, while not unex-
pected, is certain to heighten
U.S.-Israeli tensions in the
next few months, according
to administration sources.
Despite strong doubts over
the durability of the fragile
coalition, there is a wide-
spread feeling among for-
eign policy officials that the
two governments are
heading towards an extend-
ed period of confrontation
over a number of issues.
Officially, State Depart-
ment policy is now to work
with the new Shamir
government; unofficially, a
wide range of administra-
tion officials are angry and
frustrated over the turn of
events in Jerusalem, and
pessimistic about the short-
term implications for the
U.S.-Israeli relationship.
"I don't know quite where
we go from here," said one
foreign policy official who
has been involved in the
Middle East peace process
since the Bush inaugura-
tion. "It's hard to imagine
how the Baker peace plan
can survive this new
government. Where we go
from here is very prob-
lematic."
The most immediate con-
cern involves the $400 mill-
ion in housing loan guar-
antees for resettling Soviet
Jews in Israel, approved re-
cently by Congress as part of
a giant supplemental spen-
ding bill. The package of
guarantees has been a top
priority of pro-Israel organ-
izations here and represent-
atives of the Israeli govern-
ment.
Since passage of the mea-
sure, the administration has
hinted that it would hold off
implementation until it had
received assurances from the
new Israeli government that
the money would not be used
to settle Soviet Jews in the
occupied territories.
Last week, that policy was
articulated for the first time
by President Bush. In a
letter to Anti-Defamation
League director Abraham
Foxman, Bush indicated
that "we will also sit down
with the new Israeli
government in an effort to
reach understandings that
will permit us to provide
Israel with an additional
$400 million in housing in-
vestment guarantees."
But negotiations over
these assurances would in-
volve the new housing min-
ister, Ariel Sharon. Sharon
is a leading advocate of the
right of Jews to settle
anywhere in Israel, and he
has consistently pushed
government support of set-
tlements. Observers here
suggest it is unlikely that
Sharon will provide the
assurances the administra-
tion is demanding.
Support for the loan guar-
antees remains strong in
Congress, and there is
speculation that the ad-
ministration may not choose
Administration
officials are angry
and frustrated over
the turn of events
in Jerusalem.
to press Sharon hard on the
question of assurances. But
Israeli representatives here
argue that the loan guar-
antees are vital to Israel's
sputtering efforts to cope
with the massive influx of
Soviet Jews; further delay
could prove expensive and
disruptive to Israel.
Ironically, Sharon's ap-
pointment is seen by some as
a smart move in terms of the
monumental problem of
stimulating Israel's creaky
absorption machinery.
"Sharon is a bulldozer,"
said an official with a Jewish
organization here. "He's
possibly the only man in
Israel who can cut through
the country's housing bu-
reaucracy. Unfortunately,
he's also a red flag to the
Bush administration. And
nobody really expects him to
put aside his strong feelings
about settlements."
Another area of concern
centers on the new foreign
minister, David Levy, an-
other hard liner. As housing
minister, Levy was respon-
sible for the $1.8 million in
government support for the
settlers who took over a
building in the Christian
Quarter, an action that
angered even Israel's sup-
porters within the ad-
ministration.
There is also an element of
cultural bias in the cool
unofficial reaction here to
Levy's appointment. In the
past, Israeli foreign min-
isters have been "Western"
in speech and manner, a fact
that has reinforced the no-
tion that Israel and the
United States shared a
common cultural heritage —
a bond that helped solidify
the relationship despite
differing political and dip-
lomatic agendas.
But Levy does not speak
English; according to several
pro-Israel activists here, the
former construction worker
comes across as rough-edged
and unsophisticated. There
are also concerns that he is
relatively inexperienced in
foreign affairs.
At the Pentagon, the new
government may be viewed
with more approval. Moshe
Arens, the new defense min-
ister, is widely respected in
American defense circles.
Congressional sources in-
dicate that legislators have
generally not focused on the
change in leadership in
Jerusalem. Underlying sup-
port for Israel remains
strong — enhanced
somewhat by the fact that
this is an election year, and
many legislators are being
particularly sensitive to
Jewish interests.
But there is some concern
that the new Israeli
government coincides with a
disturbing turn in public
opinion about foreign aid.
According to several con-
gressional offices, consti-
tuent mail has turned sharp-
ly against foreign aid in
general in recent months,
and against top recipients of
U.S. aid in particular.
Several legislators pri-
vately worry that the public
image problem presented by
the new Israeli government
will make the current aid
package, which is now mov-
ing through Congress, more
difficult to defend.
"This long period of uncer-
tainty has been very unsettl-
ing," said a Democratic con-
gressman who attended this
week's policy conference of
the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee. "The
important thing now is for
Israel to convey a sense of
forward movement — even if
the destination is not
precisely the one we would
have for them."
"What I see is relief that
there's finally a government
in Jerusalem," said Morrie
Amitay, a longtime pro-
Israel lobbyist and Congress
watcher. ❑