COMMUNITY VIEWS

Re-Elect Binyamin Netanyahu

Ehud Barak For Prime Minister

(Gaza) under the approving eye of
ne wonders if the Israeli
Arafat and whoever of his buddies
voter gives any cognizance
Arafat decided constituted the Pales-
to the fact that all those who
tinian National Council of the
are against Israel maintain-
moment.
ing a position of strength in the nego-
He was the first American president
tiations are doing whatever possible to
to openly declare that Palestinian
see Prime Minister
Arabs have the right to a
Binyamin Netanyahu is not
state of their own. His wife,
re-elected.
Hillary Rodham Clinton,
For example:
already has recommended
Yasser Arafat — he made
such a state.
the magnificent gesture of
Martin Indyk, Clinton's
not declaring a Palestinian
assistant secretary of state for
state on May 4 because he
Middle Eastern Affairs, is
was advised that such an
virulently anti-Israel and
action would alarm Israeli
takes his orders from a boss
voters and cause them to
with
similar views,
JERO ME S.
conceivably opt for
Madeleine
Albright.
KAU F MAN
Netanyahu and his relative-
By
the
way,
until two
Special to the
ly strong Israeli position.
weeks ago, Indyk had work-
Jewish News
Of course, Arafat is too
ing for him in the State
smart. He sees no reason to
Department, Joseph Zogby,
declare a state within the
the author of numerous
present dimensions when
articles antagonistic to Israel and the
he knows the immediate world and
son of the aforementioned James
the Israeli and American Jewish Left
Zogby. Morton Klein, the national
will continue to zealously help him
president of the Zionist Organiza-
obtain more Israeli territory, no mat-
tion of America, exposed this
ter what his failures and transgres-
Indyk/Zogby liaison, forcing Indyk
sions.
to transfer Joseph Zogby to the Jus-
The European Union — it consis-
tice Department. How this corrects
tently takes anti-Israel positions in the
the problem remains another mys-
United Nations and has just come out
tery.
in favor of long-dead U.N. resolution
Clinton has gone out of his way to
181. This resolution takes Israel back
snub Netanyahu while hosting events
to the isolated strings of territories
for Shimon Peres and Leah Rabin, and
that were designated before the first
was instrumental in sending political
Arab army attacks against the Jewish
gurus and pollsters to Israel to aid the
state in 1948. The E.U. has strongly
candidacies of Ehud Barak and
advised Arafat against the declaration
Yitzhak Mordechai.
of statehood, again for fear of helping
In summary, Clinton has, in effect,
Netanyahu.
done everything to encourage the
Hamas — under the guidance of
candidates opposing Netanyahu in
avowed terrorist leader Sheik Ahmed
every possible manner short of
Yassin, it has agreed to temporarily
entering the Israeli voting booth
stop terrorist attacks until after the
himself.
election for fear of encouraging a
Arab nations — Egypt, Syria, Iraq
Netanyahu vote.
and a host of others, all longtime ene-
President Bill Clinton — Then there
mies of Israel, also have urged against
are the actions of self-declared "friend"
the declaration of a Palestinian state
of Israel, Bill Clinton. He was the first
for the moment, for fear of helping
American president to address an Arab
Netanyahu.
political conference in the United
Finally, there is the vote of the Israeli
States. He did so under the guidance
Arabs themselves, now constituting
of James Zogby, the foremost Arab-
about 20 percent of the Israeli popula-
American propagandist who Clinton
tion. They will vote virtually 100 per-
addressed as his good friend and his
cent against Netanyahu.
source of objective .information on the
So what about the Israeli Jewish
Middle East.
voter? If all these dubious "friends"
Clinton was the first to speak in
and outright enemies of Israel are
Palestinian Authority territory
doing whatever possible to see that
Netanyahu is not elected, does it
Jerome S. Kaufman, a Bloomfield
makes sense for the Israeli Jew to vote
Hills resident, is president of the Zionist
for
anyone else? On May 17, we will
Organization of America/Metro Detroit
find
out.
District.

Palestinians.
abor Party Chairman Ehud
Barak favors a free-market econo-
Barak created the "One
my, gradual privatization and
Israel" Knesset ticket, which
reduced government involvement in
included David Levy's Gesh-
the economy. The government must
er Party, to attract Jews of North
act with social responsibility, recog-
African and Asian origin and Rabbi
nizing that the marketplace cannot
Yehuda Amital's Meimad
guarantee the provision of
Party, to attract modern
education, health and other
Orthodox voters.
social services. Social stabil-
Barak believes that effec-
ity and justice, particularly
tive negotiations with
for the weakest and most
strong security provisions
vulnerable, must be guar-
for Israel can be conducted
anteed by responsible gov-
with Palestinians, where the
ernment.
relationship is based on a
Barak believes in renewing
sense of mutuality and
negotiations with Syria and
trust. The Netanyahu gov-
seeking
a comprehensive
NORMAN
ernment was ambivalent,
agreement
with the
NAI MARK
acknowledging the Oslo
Lebanese,
guaranteed
by
Special to the
agreement but criticizing
Syria.
The
depth
of
Israel's
Jewish News
and denigrating it.
territorial compromise on
Barak is committed to the
the Golan Heights will be
creation of secure borders for
predicated on security
the State of Israel. This will
arrangements, including early warn-
require adjustments of the 1967 bor-
ing systems, the normalization
ders.
arrangements and the protection and
Barak believes that it is unacceptable
use of water resources. The agree-
for a Jewish state to rule over 2.7 mil-
ment with the Lebanese will include
lion Palestinians.
security arrangements in southern
Barak opposes the construction of
Lebanon, which will end terrorism
new settlements or the expansion of
and guarantee peace and security for
existing settlements before the final
Israel's northern border communi-
status agreements are reached. The
ties, allowing the staged withdrawal
government of Israel
and the Palestinian
Authority are both
morally bound by the
agreement to avoid
unilateral provocative
actions.
Barak is uncompro-
misingly committed
to maintaining greater
Jerusalem as the unit-
ed sovereign capital of
the State of Israel.
Christian and Moslem
residents in the city
will be encouraged to
share in responsibility
for the character of
life in the municipal
quarters in which they reside, while
of Israeli forces.
special arrangements will be main-
Barak is opposed to the Knesset's
tained for the sites sacred to Christian-
passing legislation that would deny
ity and Islam.
the rights of non-Orthodox religious
Barak will make the Jordan River
groups in Israel. He opposes all
Israel's eastern security border with no
forms of religious coercion.
foreign army in the West Bank.
Barak is committed to the unity of --/\
Barak believes that the Palestinians'
the Jewish people: He affirms the
political entity to emerge from the
legitimacy of all religious streams and
negotiations should be defined by the
asserts that Israel is a democratic,
Zionist and Jewish state in which all
Norman Naimark, a Farmington Hills
have the right to live in an atmosphere
resident, is national vice president of the
of tolerance and equality. I I
Labor Zionist Alliance/Midwest Region.

0

5/14
1999

32 Detroit Jewish News