All barbecues
& Shae
Design patio
furniture
include
assembly and
Delivery &
are on sale
now
Sunllem
Washington Watch
Capitol Pounding
Israel's Phalcon sale to China raises
hackles on Capitol Hill.
JAMES D. BESSER
Washington Columnist
D
p.m
=I Imo
4 Seasons Coupon I 4 Seaso7s Coupo7
mirS7071S Coupon
IP,ropane barbecue 1111 at home service on your gas
II b
!lank exchange
arbecue
in empty tank • I
11 Reg. $50.
I for full 0.00 tank bring
(of same style and approxi- I
Inate age)
$4
expires 7/4/00 I
5
7/4/00
HMP
H barbecue parts
.
b r i ng bar
olbdepc: or model # &
inea
ksee0,,urin
p lease
-
I I
L.
expires 7/4/00
4 Seasons Fireplace & Barbecue 30903 Orchard Lake. Rd. Farmington Hills Located in the plaza
between 13 & 14 Mile by the Gap, & TJ MAXX Open Monday —Thursday 10am to 9pm
Fridays 10am to 5pm Closed Saturdays Open Sundays 10am to pit
0 en Jul 4th 10am-5 m call (248)855-0303
$10.00 OFF
WITH THIS AD
Sid
(248) 948-1060
36539 Gratiot Ave. 3337 Auburn Rd.
6/30
2000
18
(South of 16 Mile)
'" Clemens
(830) 79 3065
(Between Adams be Squirrel)
Auburn Hills
(248) 853-7440
espite congressional fuming
over a controversial arms
sale to China, Israel's $2.8
orate further if the Barak government
doesn't find a formula for appeasing
Washington, which contends the sale
could jeopardize U.S. interests in the
Far East, and possibly even threaten
American fliers who could come to
the aid of Taiwan.
This week, the Israel Prime
Minister's office issued a statement
saying Ehud Barak "wishes to make it
clear that Israel is taking serious note
of American concerns regarding the
sale of Phalcon aircraft to China." But
Capitol Hill sources said the state-
ment's dismissive tone indicates that
the Israelis still don't get it.
billion seemed poised this
week to clear Congress relatively
unscathed.
Not so Israel's reputation, which
has been pounded by friend and foe
alike on Capitol Hill.
On Tuesday, the House
Appropriations Committee approved
the full aid request and turned back
efforts by Rep. Sonny Callahan (R-
Ala.), chair of the powerful foreign
operations subcommittee, to withhold
AIPAC Flap
$250 million until the secretary of
The American Israel Public Affairs
defense certifies that Israel's sale of an
Committee (AIPAC) wants to make
advanced radar plane to Beijing won't
sure officials of the government of
threaten U.S. interests.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak
Instead, the committee accepted a
know that the pro-Israel group is
substitute amendment expressing
squarely behind their peace effort.
strong concern about the sale.
That's why AIPAC this week
Lawmakers, led by Callahan, also
demoted the chair of its executive
vented their anger at the pro-Israel
committee.
lobby, which fought for weeks to
Gerald Charnoff got into hot water
avoid any linkage between aid and the
with AIPAC President Tim Wuliger
controversial sale.
for signing a letter critical of Barak's
Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.), the
"one-sided concessions to Yasser Arafat
ranking Democrat, urged his col-
and the Palestinian Authority." The
leagues not to tie aid to cancellation of letter was organized by Zionist
the arms deal, but indicated he could
Organization of America President
change his mind if Israel went ahead
Morton Klein, and included the signa-
with the sale.
tures of 20 current and former Jewish
During subcommittee markup last
leaders.
week, Obey said that if the sale goes
The letter, which supports the
through "Israel can forget my support
statement of concern by Israeli
for aid for the rest of my tenure in
Minister of the Interior Natan
Congress." And the fight isn't over yet;
Sharansky, will appear as an advertise-
pro-Israel House staffers expect
ment in a number of U.S. and Israeli
Callahan to try again when the aid bill
newspapers.
reaches the House floor.
Several other members of AIPAC's
Things were quieter on the Senate
executive committee listed their affilia-
side, where lawmakers have approved
tion in the ad; Chainoff did not.
a $13.4 billion aid bill that included
Still, Wuliger, in his first major act
almost $3 billion for Israel.
as AIPAC president, moved swiftly
But Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.),
and asked for Charnoff's resignation
chair of the Foreign Relations
from the chair because of his promi-
Committee, registered his disapproval
nent position in the organization.
of the Phalcon sale by putting a proce-
"The substance of this letter was
dural hold on the sale of new attack
never considered or approved by
helicopters to Israel.
AIPAC or its governing bodies," said
Worried pro-Israel lobbyists say the
AIPAC Executive Director Howard
situation on Capitol Hill could deteri-
Kohr in a statement. "We do not sup-
port it and we have not encouraged
Related editorial: page 29