INSIDE WASHINGTON l'imimm"'"m
THE TALK OF THE TOWN
Jamie & Marc Benovic
David & Arline Bittker
Sharon & Gerald Corlin
WE ARE
B'NAI B'RITH.
Martin & Bobbie Levine
Tammy & Bruce Gorosh
WE ARE
FAMILY!
Sarah & Irving Pitt
Phillip & Hilda Neuman
Congress Gives Mixed
Signals On Guarantees
Members of Congress are
sending up conflicting
signals about how they will
deal with Israel's impending
request for $10 billion in
loan guarantees.
Some legislators have not
missed the fact that the
crisis in the Soviet Union
proves the point pro-Israel
activists have been making
all along — that Israel's ab-
sorption of up to one million
new arrivals is an urgent
humanitarian effort that de-
serves assistance.
But there are more
ominous signs, as well.
A growing number of legis-
lators are hinting that they
would prefer to pass one
years's worth of guarantees
at a time, not a five-year
$10-billion package.
That's
.14
not a good idea,"
said Malcolm Hoenlein, di-
rector of the Conference of
Presidents of Major Ameri-
can Jewish Organizations.
"If you do it on a year-by-
year basis, you can't effec-
tively plan for the hundreds
of thousands of people corn-
ing to Israel.'
But the problem of plann-
ing isn't the only reason for
concern about an
"incremental" approach to
the loan guarantees.
Many Jewish leaders are
worried this is just an ad-
ministration ruse to make
sure it can still use the
guarantees as a lever
against the government in
Jerusalem.
4`.
JOIN US
NOW!!!
_ John & Marsha Rofel
fiy
Arthur & Joan Schott
THIS SPACE
IS
RESERVED
FOR "YOU"
Gale & Richard Taubman
Beverly & Ralph Woronoff
FOR INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN BECOME A MEMBER
OF OUR B'NAI B'RITH FAMILY . . . PLEASE CONTACT
B'NAI B'RITH MICHIGAN REGIONAL COUNCIL (313) 5528177
GRAND OPENING SALE
SAVE UP TO 50%
CLASSIC
QALLERY
FURNITURE
26195 Greenfield
Lincoln Square Shopping Center
Southfield • 559-9700
48
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1991
Save On:
• Contemporary
• Traditional
• Imports
•
•
•
•
Sofas
Dining Room Sets
Kitchen Sets
Bedroom Sets
Malcolm Hoenlein
Another issue is also caus-
ing some ulcers for pro-Israel
activists.
Opponents of the loan
guarantees have been ag-
gressively asserting that the
Israeli economy cannot
stand up to the enormous
pressures of the absorption
process, thus making Israel
a poor credit risk.
Recent Israeli newspaper
articles making the same
charge have been circulated
widely on Capitol Hill.
"This doesn't help," said
an aide to a Democratic
senator involved in the fight.
"We have every reason to
think that Israel is a very
good credit risk. But there's
a lot of apprehension about
the economy and the budget,
and these charges play right
into those fears."
Congressmen Give
Advice To Israelis
A group of congressmen
recently returned from
Israel, where they gave offi-
cials some advice about the
upcoming battle for $10
billion in loan guarantees.
The congressional delega-
tion, which was organized by
the Anti-Defamation League
of B'nai B'rith, included
Rep. Charles Schumer,
D-N.Y., Rep. Leon E.
Panetta, D-Calif., Rep.
George Miller, D-Calif., Rep.
Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and
Rep. Marty A. Russo, D-Ill.
Mr. Panetta, chairman of
the powerful House Budget
Committee, told Israeli offi-
cials that the fight for the
loan guarantees would be a
politically difficult one be-
cause of the weak recovery
from the recession.
He suggested that while
Congress would probably re-
ject any direct "linkage"
between the loan guarantees
and the peace process,
Israel's continuing coopera-
tion with the American-led
process would make it easier
for members to vote for the
guarantees.
The delegation also urged
Israeli officials to make it
clear exactly how the loans
— which will come from pri-
vate banks, backed up by the
U.S. government — will be
used.
"It was an excellent trip,"
said Jess Hordes, the ADL
Washington representative
and the organizer of the trip.
"There was a lively give-
and-take with a variety of
top Israeli leaders. I think
these people really came
back with a good sense of
what Israel is all about."