/ visit our warehouse showroom! Washington Watch /- ZOA Blasted On Jordan Aid JAMES D. BESSER Washington Correspondent T he Zionist Organization of America, known for its rapid-fire, aggressive style of political action, has been rebuked by the leading pro-Israel lobby group for turning its sights on Jordan. ZOA recently engaged in a "gratu- itous attack on Jordan's eligibility for U.S. assistance," according to Lonnie / Kaplan, president of the American- Israel Public Affairs Committee, and executive director Howard Kohn In an unusually stinging letter to ZOA President Morton Klein, the AIPAC officials charged that ZOA actions have been "damaging not only to Jordan itself, but also to important American and Israeli interests." \___ , The rebuke was triggered by a ZOA ,- campaign to force Jordan to extradite Abu Daoud, the confessed master- mind of the 1972 massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics. Last month, ZOA promoted a House letter urging President Bill Clinton to pressure Jordan to hand over Daoud and warning that aid > "could be adversely affected" if Amman didn't comply. But the Jordanians denied Daoud was in their country; pro-Israel lobby- ists said that even if he had been, pub- lic attacks on Jordan do not serve Israel's interests. Klein, who as ZOA president serves on AIPAC's executive board, fired back this week. In an interview, (-' he said that the charge that ZOA didn't check Daoud's whereabouts was "completely erroneous; it shows their careless disregard for the facts. During the entire time we were talk- ing about Abu Daoud, there were numerous 'news reports citing that he was in Jordan." In a letter to House Speaker Dennis ,---lastert (R-Ill.), Jordanian ambassador '-Hastert Marwan Muasher — a popular figure among pro-Israel activists — said that if Daoud did enter, "he will be detained and brought under the full extent of the law. On Tuesday, Klein said the AIPAC president had apologized for the strong tone of the letter. /—) OVER 8,000 YDS. of VINYL LINOLEUM in STOCK Not so, an AIPAC spokesman said. "We apologized for the letter becom- ing public, which was unintentional," he said. Asked if Kaplan apologized for the letter's content or tone, the spokesman said, "absolutely not." PAD 7 25% OFF • LABOR - 10% OFF OVER 600 AREA RUGS in STOCK 50' SAVE 25 °A Jordan Aid Clears Despite the ruckus over Jordan aid, something the pro-Israel community generally favors, all seems clear for the money to go to the Mideast kingdom. The House passed a foreign aid bill Tuesday, which included Jordan's regu- lar $200 million aid request, plus an extra $100 million. The extra aid was promised as part of last year's Wye Agreement negotiations — the only part of the Wye supplemental aid approved so far. Israel, the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid, received $2.88 billion. SAVE 30% TO 60% TO Contemporary, Traditional, Oriental 2258 Franklin Rd. Bloomfield Hills 1 block East of Telegraph, North of Square Lake Road (248) 332-9430 Floor Covering Phis, Inc. HOURS: Mon., Tue., Wed. & Thur. 9-7 • Fri. & Sat. 9-4 Boost For Christian Coalition In June, the Christian Coalition — the tottering political powerhouse cre- ated by the televangelist Rev. Pat Robertson — took it on the chin when the Internal Revenue Service denied its application for tax-free sta- tus because of what were deemed its partisan activities. However, this week the group got a big boost in another critical case. The Federal Election Commission ruled that the Christian Coalition's contro- versial voters' guides — which critics say put a Christian imprimatur on partisan Republican politics — do not violate federal election law. That frees the group to distribute more than 70 million voters' guides in churches around the country as the 2000 election cycle begins. Jewish groups that oppose the con- servative group on a host of issues were disappointed with a ruling that they said can only boost its political clout. But, ironically, some Jewish politi- cal groups will benefit. Organizations such as the National Jewish Democratic Council and the Republican Jewish Coalition will be able to strike a more partisan note in their own voters' guides without run- ning afoul of federal authorities. P1 Our My Window on the WorldTM and Once Upon A Time' programs help preschoolers get a leg up. We provide them with activities in math, reading, science and music. And since young children learn best through hands-on-experience, it's a good idea to involve their feet, too. Farmington West Bloomfield Farmington Hills 6615 Middlebelt Road 38325 West 14 Mile Road 25005 Middlebelt Road (248) 477-4040 (248) 855-1963 (248) 661-5850 E .., -z *,.., • —, N „..„,„ KinderCare. Our Exclusive Service Offers: • Home Space Planning • Packing • • Unpacking • r ,s ,-.' • Deluxe Move Packages • "Everything In Place The Day You Move” 4 Makes Your Life Easy. • ,. _:_:::::::::il::::- . Ruth Schwartz ASID - IFDA .. 1=4 is:: =iii ::: (248) 352-2264 House To House E'1. Mo‘e Professional Interior Designer, 30 years' experience is ...•... *.......0...-......... Space & Home Planner Call for a detailed brochure! Detroit Jewish News 8/6 21