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Rolling With
The Punches

At its annual policy conference in Washington,
AIPAC proved it can be politically adaptable.

JAMES IL BESSER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

111 n an impressive display of
political muscle, about
2,400 members of the
American Israel Public Af-
fairs Committee (AIPAC)
mingled with Washington
heavyweights and an army of
pro-Israel leaders at the
group's 34th annual policy
conference this week.
The gathering vividly
showed the political adapt-
ability that has let the pro-Is-
rael lobbying giant weather a
public conflict with Israel's
new government and major
changes in Washington.
The sessions featured a
satellite appearance by Israeli
Prime Minister Yitzhak Ra-
bin, addresses by Secretary of
State Warren Christopher
and a host of legislators — in-
cluding Sen. Barbara Mikul-
ski, D-Md., who ignited
Monday night's crowd with a
fiery keynote speech.
There were also fascinating
undercurrents that reflected
strains in the Jewish com-
munity as it adjusts to a very
different government in
Jerusalem.
In past years, AIPAC has
been criticized for allegedly
tilting toward the ruling
Likud bloc. This time, some
AIPACers claimed that they
detected a pro-Labor bias in
the group. If so, this would
validate AIPAC's longstand-
ing contention that it merely
serves Israel, regardless of
which party happens to be in
power.
This week's conference ap-
parently signaled an end to
the conflict between the new
Israeli leader and the pro-Is-
rael group. In September, Mr.
Rabin confirmed stories about
his distaste for AIPAC during
a televised speech to B'nai
B'rith, when — without actu-
ally mentioning AIPAC — he
criticized the group's con-
frontational style.
But by the time Mr. Rabin
visited Washington last week
for meetings with adminis-
tration officials that left pro-
Israel leaders euphoric,
AIPAC had again demon-
strated its indispensability to
Israel's government.
Mr. Rabin made his grati-
tude to AIPAC official on Sun-
day in a speech clearly
intended to kiss and make up.

"I am more than thankful
to you...," he said. "From time
to time we had differences,
but I am sure that there is no
more effective organization of
American people who are
ready to support... [and] help
Israel..."
Mr. Rabin indicated that
selling the peace process to Is-
raelis would not be easy, es-
pecially in view of increasing
Arab violence. And he re-
peated warnings about the
spread of Islamic fundamen-
talism, which had been a ma-
jor topic during his
three-and-a-half hour meet-

Some AIPACers
claimed that they
detected a
pro-Labor bias
in the group.

ing with President Clinton
last week.
Secretary of State Warren
Christopher addressed the
group on Tuesday. Taking
time from his round-the-clock
efforts to deal with the crisis
in Moscow clearly indicated
the administration's desire for
good working relations with
AIPAC.
In his speech, Mr. Christo-
pher pushed all the right but-
tons: He praised Israel as a
"vibrant democracy," called
for an end to the Arab boycott,
and repeated the administra-
tion's insistence that "direct
negotiations between Israel
and its neighbors are the only
pathway to real peace."
The peace process was the
most prominent theme of the
conference as speaker after
speaker emphasized the im-
portance of this unique op-
portunity, while insisting that
Israel maintain its military
superiority.
As Itamar Rabinovich, Is-
rael's new ambassador to
Washington, said, "Our desire
for peace is not a matter of a
vague yearning or a fuzzy
dream. It is a matter of poli-
cy. We have made a policy de-
cision that we want to g; - :/f)
the... peace process, the 1:‘ ;it
chance... This is a qualif:
peace, yes, but peace with s'
curity."

