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Peace Now Joins
The Mainstream
Despite a bitter effort to keep it out, American for
Peace Now is voted into the Conference of
Presidents.
JAMES D. BESSER WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
I
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he recent vote by mem-
bers of the Conference of
Presidents of Major
American Jewish Orga-
nizations to admit Americans
for Peace Now to the umbrella
organization was a striking re-
flection of the changes in the
American Jewish political
scene following last June's po-
litical upheaval in Israel.
But the rancorous battle
leading up to that vote, — in-
cluding the use of tactics la-
beled "McCarthyite" by some
APN supporters but which also
succeeded in generating doubts
about the American affiliate of
the big Israeli peace group —
revealed how difficult it is to
alter old symbols and outdat-
ed litmus tests.
The fact is, the Jewish world
is changing to serve the needs
of a new government in Israel
with a very different perspec-
tive on some of the most fun-
damental issues of the Mideast
peace process.
But American pro-Israel in-
stitutions, uncertain about
their proper role in influencing
those policies, are finding the
transition a traumatic and un-
even one. The outlines of the
APN controversy are fairly
straightforward.
Last fall, the group applied
for membership in the Presi-
dents' Conference, part of its
ongoing effort to become more
of a player in the mainstream
pro-Israel world and shed its
image as a protest organiza-
tion.
Initially, there appeared to
be little opposition. APN's for-
mer president, Jonathan Jaco-
by, had laid a solid base by
working closely with pro-Israel
leaders on a number of issues,
including the all-out Jewish ef-
fort to secure $10 billion in
loan guarantees for Israel.
APN also benefited from the
elections in Israel and in this
country. Some of its leaders
were well connected to the in-
coming Clinton administration;
Peter Edelman, the group's co-
chair at the time of the elec-
tion, was a member of Bill
Clinton's "kitchen cabinet,"
and the campaign's liaison to
the Jewish community, Sara
Ehrman, was a longtime Peace
Now board member.
At the same time, a new gov-
ernment in Jerusalem was
turning some of the positions
long held by APN and its Is
raeli parent into official Israeli
policy.
Suddenly, American Jewish
leaders were coming to call on
APN, seeking to make use of
the group's contacts with the
two new governments. But
soon after the application
process started, a small group
of pro-Israel activists raised
questions about Mr. Jacoby's
successor at APN, Gail Press-
berg, whose resume included
long stints at the American
Friends Service Committee
and the Foundation for Middle
East Peace, groups frequently
labeled as hostile to Israel.
Questions were raised abo-,
whether APN accepts
Peace Now support-
ers charged their
opposition with
"McCarthyite"
tactics.
Jerusalem as the undivide i
capital of Israel (they do, bu
they insist that the details o
any solution to the Jerusale st
question are up to the Israelis)
and about Ms. Pressberg's ad
vocacy of a "two-state solutio
to the Israeli-Palestinian dis
pute.
Anti-APN forces, also argu
that APN could effective
block pro-Israel consensus p
sitions within the Conferenc
by exercising a kind of ve
power. "Americans for Peac e
Now will be able to block an
resolution that conflicts wit
its goals of negotiating with t
PLO, establishing a Palesti
ian state and compromising o
Israel's sovereignty ove
Jerusalem," said a group
four anti-APN leaders in
open letter to members of th
conference.
In fact, there is no veto po
er for Presidents' Conferenc
members, according to offici
of the group. In any even
APN, in applying for membe
ship, committed itself to th
"consensus model" und o
which the Conference opera