How Solid Is Anti-
Foreign Aid Talk?
JAMES D. BESSER WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
I
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t may be a case of a lot of
smoke, but not much fire:
Despite ominous-sounding
talk by lawmakers about for-
eign aid cuts, top pro-Israel ac-
tivists see little chance of cuts
for Israel in the upcoming fiscal
year.
Last week, Rep. David Obey,
D-Wis., said constituents
around the country would pres-
sure their legislators to cut the
$13.9 billion in aid now going to
Israel and Egypt.
And Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-
Vt., has hinted repeatedly that
Israel may have to absorb cuts
as part of his effort to slash costs
and change priorities in the aid
program.
Sen. Leahy wants more mon-
ey for Boris Yeltsin's Russia,
which appears on the brink of
political collapse.
Leading pro-Israel activists
suggest that so far, at least, all
this talk is mostly for the bene-
fit of the folks back home.
"Tye been hearing this kind
of talk regularly as long as I can
remember," said one pro-Israel
activist. "Mostly, it's just for
show. Aid is unpopular with
constituents, and even legisla-
tors who appreciate its impor-
tance to U.S. interests have to
go through the motions of show-
ing that they don't like it."
Privately, congressional lead-
ers say there is no organized ef-
fort to cut aid to Israel this year,
although amendments calling
for cuts could be introduced
when the aid budget reaches
the House and Senate floors.
Verbal assaults on aid may
be a way to gain leverage over
the administration, which con-
siders the mega-assistance to
Egypt and Israel essential to
the peace process.
At last week's hearings of Mr.
Obey's Foreign Operations sub-
committee, Edward Djerejian,
assistant secretary of state for
Near Eastern affairs, said the
administration would firmly op-
pose any efforts to cut aid to
Egypt and Israel. And admin-
istration officials hint behind
the scenes that a successful
peace process might, in fact,
boost this country's foreign aid
tab.
The administration's support
for aid does not mean that pro-
Israel forces are letting down
their guard.
As Malcolm Hoenlein, exec-
utive vice chair of the Confer-
ence of Presidents of Major
American Jewish Organiza-
tions, said, "In the long run,
we'll have to provide creative
new ways to provide aid that
will be beneficial to both Israel
and to this country.
I expect that foreign aid will
be revised, and that the entire
program will come under clos-
er scrutiny."
GOP Emulating
Democrats
Jewish Republicans, looking for
new opportunities after No-
vember's loss, are casting cov-
etous glances at the grass roots.
At last week's meeting of the
group's executive board, the Na-
tional Jewish Coalition began
considering ways to build a po-
litical network at the state and
local level to help build support
for GOP candidates among
Jews,
In doing so, the GOP will fol-
low the National Jewish De-
mocratic Council's example. The
Council used its new network
of state chapters to mobilize
Jews for the Clinton-Gore
ticket.
"We have to institute pro-
grams to assure that we don't
repeat our mistakes from the
1992 campaigns," said Matthew
Brooks. executive director of the
National Jewish Coalition.
Since its inception, the Coali-
tion has worked only with
Republican presidents. A De-
mocrat's arrival in the Oval
Office, said one Jewish Repub-
lican, is forcing the group to "get
out into the community and
make our case."
The group also plans to work
more closely with GOP House
and Senate members. This was
the subject of a long strategy
session with Senate Minority
Leader Bob Dole, R-Kans.
The Coalition also chose a
new president: Cheryl Halpern
of Livingston, N.J., who co-
chaired Jews' efforts last year
for George Bush. Her election
was not without its significance:
The GOP is aware that Jewish
women comprised one of the
most solidlv anti-Bush blocs.