Clinton Participation
Urged In Talks
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THE DETRO IT J EW IS H NEWS
Issue Date
January 8, 1993
Ad Deadline
December 30, 1992
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Mountaineering & Backcountry Travel
Washington (JTA) — Two
Jewish activists close to the
brokerage of the 1978 Camp
David accords are urging the
incoming Clinton ad-
ministration to take a vigor-
ous role in the current peace
process and calling on
American Jews to give it the
slack needed to do so.
At the time of the historic
agreement, which led to the
Israeli-Egyptian peace trea-
ty, Edward Sanders was a
senior adviser to then Presi-
dent Jimmy Carter on the
Middle East, and Theodore
Mann was chairman of the
Conference of Presidents of
Major American Jewish
Organizations.
This week . they told the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
they feared the promise of
the current peace talks
would slip away if Bill Clin-
ton failed to seize the in-
itiative because of other
priorities and out of reluc-
tance to take the required
political risks.
They warned that the con-
sequences for Israel's securi-
ty and safety would be
grave.
"We have no reason to
believe (Clinton officials)
will not push the peace pro-
cess, actively or vigorously,"
said Mr. Sanders, "but we
want to encourage them to,
even if constructive friction
develops between the par-
ties."
Mr. Mann said he was con-
cerned the Clinton ad-
ministration would look
back on the experiences of
Presidents Carter and Bush
and conclude that when an
administration gets too in-
volved, it runs the risk of
alienating Israel's defenders
in the United States.
Both Mr. Carter and Mr.
Bush paid for their Middle
East policies in their reelec-
tion efforts with a sharp drop
in support among Jews, who
perceived they had
pressured Israel too hard for
concessions.
Mr. Clinton garnered at
least 80 percent of the Jew-
ish vote and could be reluc-
tant to risk eroding such key
support, Mr. Sanders and
Mr. Mann pointed out.
In - fact, Mr. Carter or-
chestrated, through the force
of his personal prestige, an
unprecedented peace agree-
ment that greatly enhanced
Israel's security, and Mr.
Bush brought the parties to
Madrid for face-to-face talks,
both historic ac-
complishments, stressed Mr.
Sanders.
The agreement at Camp
David "never would have
happened" without Mr.
Carter "walking back and
forth carrying the yellow
pad" between then Egyptian
President Anwar Sadat and
Israeli Prime Minister
Menachem Begin, said Mr.
Sanders, who was at Camp
David at the time.
"Clinton can put pressure
on both (Arab and Israeli)
parties without losing Jew-
ish support, provided
nothing is said to undermine
Israel's security," said Mr.
Mann. "I believe he can pull
it off."
"We are also anxious that
the Jewish community of
America give the Clinton
administration some space,"
he added.
Mr. Sanders and Mr. Mann
are now the co-chairs of Pro-
ject Nishma, a group
dedicated to promoting the
Mr. Clinton
garnered at least
80 percent of the
Jewish vote.
Middle East peace process
and protecting Israel's
security.
The organization is small
but has cultivated close rela-
tionships with highly placed
members of Israel's Labor
Party. It is beginning to
assume a higher profile in
the constellation of U.S.
Jewish organizations now
that a Labor government is
in power.
Nishma recently spon-
sored the U.S. visits of
Israeli Deputy Foreign Min-
ister Yossi Beilin, Envi-
ronment Minister Ora
Namir, and Efraim Sneh, a
prominent member of the
Knesset's Foreign Affairs
and Defense Committee.
The two co-chairs said the
organization's primary mis-
sion in the next four months
is to make sure that with
everything else on Mr. Clin-
ton's foreign policy plate, in-
cluding Somalia, the situa-
tion in the former Yugoslav
republics and instability in
the former Soviet Union, the
Middle East peace process