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Covenant Of Confusion
Irks Jesse Helms
Prime iVilnister
cails tit
JAMES D. BESSER WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
T
n a recent meeting with a
high-level delegation of
JNF leaders from around
the country held in
Washington, DC, Israeli
Prime Minister Shimon Peres
said, "The desert covers over
50 percent of our land mass.
The development of the
Negev Desert is crucial to
Israel's future.
I
the newspaper every day, but
your efforts to cultivate the
desert and to share these
technologies with developing
nations can have a profound
impact in helping their
citizens."
he question of whether the
Palestinian National Coun-
cil fully revoked parts of its
covenant calling for the de-
struction of Israel continues to
ricochet around Capitol Hill, de-
spite the efforts of mainstream
pro-Israel groups.
Late last week, Sen. Jesse
Helms, R-N.C., whose hard-line
pro-Israel positions often irritate
the current Israeli government,
sent a letter to Secretary of State
Warren Christopher demanding
an official response to charges
that the PNC had really just de-
ferred changing the charter.
Mr. Helms referred to "consid-
erable confusion over the recent
vote," and said that the two ver-
sions of the official PNC state-
ment that have been circulated
widely on Capitol Hill, while dif- Jesse Helms:
fering significantly, fail "to take Demanded a response.
any clearly immediate action on
Most pro-Israel groups, led by
the charter."
Mr. Helms' action is significant the American Israel Public Af-
because of his role as chair of the fairs Committee, signaled their
Senate Foreign Relations Corn- lack of interest in a congression-
mittee, and his longstanding op- al brouhaha over the covenant is-
position to American aid to the sue.
But Mr. Helms and other hard-
Palestinians. Under the terms of
the Middle East Peace Facilita- liners are unlikely to be dissuad-
tion Act, the PNC was supposed ed by the Israeli government or
to change its charter within two their supporters here.
"Every time the PNC speaks,
months of the Palestinian elec-
tions or face an aid cutoff; the re- it produces confusion," said an of-
cent PNC action, Mr. Helms ficial with a major group that sup-
contended, does not meet that ports the peace process. "And
every time that happens, those
standard.
But this week, the State De- who believe [the peace process] is
partinent was holding fast to its just a very elaborate trick by
support for the official Israeli po- [Yassir] Arafat to get new am-
sition — that the PNC decision munition" voice their disapproval.
tc revoke the old charter and be- "We take this controversy very
gin writing a new one satisfies the seriously, because people like
terms of both the Oslo accords Helms do have the power to dis-
rupt the peace process."
and ME PFA.
Jewish National Fund
17100 West Ten Mile Road
Southfield, MI 48075
or call: 610-557-6644.
"Ours is a country that is rich
in intellect but poor in geog-
raphy. In developing the land,
it was JNF that combined sci-
ence and agriculture in a way
that has made us a world
leader in desert technologies.
"I hope that before too long,
with the help of the Jewish
National Fund, we will
change the face of the
desert"
At the meeting, Congressman
Bill Emerson (R-MO), vice
chair of the House
Agriculture Committee,
praised JNF: "What JNF is
doing is not something that
makes the front pages of
',tin • .111a4
(Jai
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With Republican infighting on
the rise, some GOP legislators
are urging House Speaker Newt
Gingrich, R-Ga., to pull the plug
on the Religious Equality
Amendment, legislation that
Jewish activists say is a barely
veiled attempt to introduce sec-
tarian prayer into public school
classrooms.
That was the underlying mes-
sage in a letter to Mr. Gingrich
by three Republican legislators
— Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-
N.Y., Rep. Christopher Shays, R-
Conn., and Rep. Steven Schiff,
R-N.M. — one of a small handful
of Jewish Republicans on the
Hill.
The legislators were respond-
ing to Mr. Gingrich's call for a
compromise that would merge
two existing versions of the con-
stitutional amendment, spon-
sored by Rep. Henry Hyde, R-11.1.,
and Rep. Ernest Jim Istook, R-
Okla.
Conflict between supporters of
the two amendments has held up
the religious equality drive for
months; conservative leaders,
backed by Christian right groups,
want to get it moving before the
November elections.