NOTEBOOK
It's Too Soon
To Bury The Hatchet
GARY ROSENBLATT
Editor
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American Jew-
ish organiza-
tions are trying
to make peace
with the Bush
administration
— and rational-
izing their ac-
tions — after spending the
longest time telling us that
this administration is a
disaster for Israel.
The reasoning involves
simple arithmetic: four more
years.
Some national Jewish
leaders have concluded that,
given a presidential election
involving George Bush, Bill
Clinton — and probably Ross
Perot —Mr. Bush is going to
be re-elected, so it's time to
bury the hatchet and make
the best of it.
The political logic is com-
pelling. Don't dwell on past
differences. Focus on com-
mon ties of mutual interest,
shake hands, make up and
look to the future. That's
smart politics.
But isn't this the George
Bush that refused to provide
Israel with $10 billion in
loan guarantees for the
resettlement of Soviet Jews
in the Jewish state, and who
went on national television
last September to categorize
American Jews lobbying for
the guarantees as undermin-
ing —rather than symboliz-
ing — the American way?
Isn't this the George Bush
who treats the president of
Syria, which supports terror-
ism, with more respect than
the prime minister of Israel,
our major Mideast ally? And
isn't this the George Bush
who, throughout the peace
process, has characterized
Israel, the region's only
democracy, as the stubborn
"heavy," in dealing with the
Arab states and the under-
dog Palestinians?
And if this is, indeed, the
same Mr. Bush, why are we
so ready to roll over and
make nice rather than
engage in the political pro-
cess and seek his defeat in
November?
Aren't we concerned that,
if re-elected, this ad-
ministration will put the
real squeeze on Israel, coerc-
ing the Jewish state into
sacrificing land for the pro-
spect of peace and leaving
Jerusalem vulnerable to its
most vociferous enemies?
The organizational re-
sponse is that American
Jews are encouraged to par-
ticipate in the political pro-
cess and to be involved with
any and all candidates.
That's called covering your
bases.
But among the top leader-
ship of the American Israel
Public Affairs Committee
(AIPAC) and the Anti-
Defamation League (ADL)
and others, there is a sense
that it is time to lower the
decibel level of our cries of
gevalt, and to downplay the
mood of confrontation that
has characterized relations
with the White House for
more than a year.
After all, the rationale
goes, a re-elected George
Bush with no need to pacify
American Jews could not <
We've come too far
to abrogate our
right to support
candidates who
best serve our
interests.
only lean more heavily on
Israel in the peace talks but
could eliminate foreign aid
to the Jewish state.
What we may be forgetting N
here, though, is the views of
the Israeli government.
Thank God, the Jewish peo-
ple has a sovereign state
whose leaders can make
decisions based on the best
interest of its citizens. So, for
example, no matter how fre-
quently or loudly Mr. Bush
talks of east Jerusalem as
occupied territory, no Israeli
prime minister is going to
allow reunited Jerusalem to
be divided again.
And regardless of whether
State Department spokes-
woman Margaret Tutwiler
intended last week to re-
introduce the notion of the
right of Palestinian refugees <
to return to their pre-1948
homes in cities like Haifa
and Jaffa, the fact is that no
Israeli government will
allow the Jewish state to be
dismantled this way.
So as American Jews, we
can do best by expressing
our support for Israel and by
supporting candidates who
we think will deal fairly and
sympathetically with Israel.
If you think George Bush is
that person, fine. But if you
think he's not, don't be
afraid to support someone
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