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About Face At AIPAC

After Likud's defeat, the leading
Israel lobby turns smoothly to the left.

JAMES D. BESSER
Washington Correspondent

I

/-

T

hat squeak audible over
Washington this week was
the sound of the pro-Israel
lobby turning on a dime.
Stung by criticism from some Labor
leaders of a longstanding pro-Likud tilt,
(the political party of Binyamin
Netanyahu), the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee began a quick read-
justment at this week's annual policy
conference in Washington.
"What you're hearing is an organi-
zation adapting to a new environ-
ment," said Gary Poliand, a longtime
AIPAC activist from Texas who
objected to the softening of some tra-
ditional AIPAC positions.
The shift included removal of tradi-
tional language in the group's annual
"Action Agenda" opposing creation of
a Palestinian state.
Instead, following the lead of
incoming Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Barak, AIPAC now officially supports
"a political solution in the search for
peace between Israel and the
Palestinians that would permit the
exercise of Palestinian self-government
while excluding those powers that
endanger the security of Israel."
AIPAC, while reaffirming its insis-
tence that the administration move the
U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to
Jerusalem, quietly instructed delegates
who blanketed Capitol Hill on Tuesday
not to lobby for proposed legislation
designed to force the administration's
hand, saying the time is not ripe for a
confrontation over the embassy. Several
weeks ago, some pro-peace process
activists charged that AIPAC was
encouraging Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) to
introduce such a resolution.
The overall tone of the conference,
which drew 900 registrants and 600
students by official count, was more
sedate than in recent years. It had less
PLO bashing and fewer criticisms of
the Clinton administration —
although Sen. Sam Brownback (R-
Kan.), one of the Monday night
keynoters, got in a few partisan licks
on the embassy issue.
"It's a transitional time," said a
member of AIPAC's executive com-
mittee. "We're doing what we always
do — supporting the duly elected

government in Israel. There are always
some bumps when we do this, but so
far the transition is going more
smoothly than usual."

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Pundits here and in Israel routinely
claim AIPAC's power is on the wane,
but apparently lawmakers and
administration officials haven't got-
ten the message.
In what has become a yearly display
of political ostentation, AIPAC leaders
called off the names of the senators and
House members in attendance at the
Monday night dinner. As usual, the
results were striking: half of the U.S.
Senate, a quarter of the House and
numerous administration officials, for-
eign diplomats and political hopefuls.
Both top House leaders were in the
audience — Speaker Dennis Hastert
(R-Ill.) and Minority Leader Richard
Gephardt (D-Mo.). One of the biggest
ovations went to former Speaker Newt
Gingrich; one of the smallest was
offered for Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.).
Michigan Sen. Spencer Abraham, a
Republican, perhaps was the most
popular man at the policy conference.
The ice cream reception he sponsored
after the Monday night banquet
attracted hundreds of hungry activists.
Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) praised
AIPAC's Political Leadership
Development Program, which marked
its 20th anniversary at this week's con-
ference, as an "investment in the
future," and cited the example of his
own chief of staff and graduate of the
program — Robert Bassin.

Where's Ehud?

Incoming Israeli Prime Minister
Ehud Barak did not address the conven-
tion. During the campaign, Barak forces
had complained that AIPAC offered a
platform to Binyamin Netanyahu just
before what was expected to be a close
run-off election.
After last week's Barak landslide,
AIPAC officials let it be known that
Netanyahu was no longer expected,
and issued a belated invitation to the
victor. Barak declined, citing the urgent
demands of forming a ruling coalition.
Bur. Barak did send a note praising
AIPAC for its "invaluable contribution
to strengthening the U.S.-Israeli rela-
tions throughout the years."

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