I

BILL CARROLL

Special to the Jewish News

rael's deputy counsel general for
the Midwest has a pessimistic
outlook for the Middle East
peace process, but he's encour-
aged by the postponement of the
Palestinian declaration of independent
statehood.
Having learned to "expect the unex-
pected" in the peace talks, David Roet
added that there "seems to be drastic
changes from day to day, so it's hard to
project the outcome."
The unofficial Arab statehood decla-
ration deadline of Sept. 13 was pushed
back by PLO leadership to Nov. 15 —
a week after the United States presi-
dential election. Roet, whose jurisdic-
tion covers 11 states, said a statehood
declaration this week "probably would
have forced a unilateral reaction by
Israel that might not have been in the
best interests of the peace process."
Based in Chicago, Roet was in the
Detroit area last weekend to brief
Jewish leaders, politicians, newspapers
and others on the status of the peace
talks. The career diplomat, in his post
for a little more than a year, said he
takes no sides in the presidential elec-
tion. He pointed out that Israel usual-
ly benefits from the bipartisan support
of both of America's political parties.
"The Gore-Lieberman ticket follows
President Bill Clinton's strong support
of Israel and the peace process, and
the Bush-Cheney ticket also has
demonstrated an intense support of
Israel," Roet said. "Either way, there
would be two people committed to
Middle East peace."

Caution On Peace

Israel's deputy counsel general briefs Detroiters.

refugees, the division of Jerusalem and
Besides his meeting with Jewish
the fate of religious shrines. Roet
leaders at the Max M. Fisher Building
reviewed the status of the issues:
in Bloomfield Township, Roet visited
• Boundaries and settlers: Israel
the State Democrat Convention at
wants 80-90 percent of the settlers —
Cobo Center in Detroit to speak to
not settlements" — on the West Bank
about 100 people at a pro-Israel cau-
to stay put in three main blocs, leaving
cus. Roet said he wasn't invited to the
10 to 20 percent of them to
earlier State Republican
live in Palestinian territory
Convention, "but I've had
• Refugees: The past 50
the opportunity to brief
years
has produced from 2.5
Republican congressmen and
million
to 5.5 million Arab
other leaders from time to
refugees,
and if they
time previously," he said.
returned to Israel, Roet
Far less was accomplished
warned, "it could mean the
at the Oslo peace talks and
virtual end to the country.
the more recent Camp David
But there's no prospect of
discussions than the public
this happening. More realis-
thought, Roet said. "The
David
Roet
tically only about a half-
core issues were left unsettled
million
refugees would
after Oslo and nothing was
return under any type of an agree-
written out at Camp David, so there
ment, including 300,000 from
were no real agreements," he said.
Lebanon.
"[Israeli Prime Minister Ehud]
"Israel recognizes the pain and suf-
Barak didn't want to sign away any-
fering of the refugees, but terrorists
thing in hypothetical cases when
could be infiltrated among them, and
[Palestinian President Yasser] Arafat
Israel won't take the responsibility for
was non-committal. And Barak is will-
any incidents occurring during a mas-
ing to compromise on the various
sive return of refugees."
issues like no other Israeli head of state
• Jerusalem: Israel wants Jerusalem
. but we can't expect any compro-
as the undivided capital of Israel and
mises from Arafat."
"we would just have to reconcile the
The main peace-talk issues remain
interests of the Palestinians in this
determination of boundaries, the
regard," said Roet. He said Barak told
future of Israeli settlers and Arab

"

Arafat at Camp David that resolving
the Jerusalem issue could be helped by
making adjustments to Arab neighbor-
hoods within the city. Barak is the first
Israeli leader even to mention
Jerusalem in peace discussions.
• Religious shrines: Arafat has pro-
posed "Islamic sovereignty" over
Jerusalem's shrines, which is unaccept-
able to Israel. The so-called Al-Haram
al-Sharif(the noble sanctuary) in the
city contains Islam's third holiest
shrine, but Jews know it as the Temple
Mount, where the first and second
biblical temples stood. It is the most
significant religious site for Jews.
"The Arabs feel the Temple Mount
is not a Jewish place," said Roet, "but
Barak has told Arafat their claims of
sovereignty are not acceptable. Israel
recognizes the importance of the tern-
ple to the Arabs, but it's also very
important to Israel." As a tradeoff,
Roet said, the Arabs could give Israel
sovereignty over the Western Wall.
Roet pointed out that though
President Clinton has spent more time
on Middle East peace talks than any
other U.S. president, Roet really does-
n't expect the same from any future
president.
A typical reaction to Roet's briefing
at the Fisher Building came from
Yitzhak Fried of West Bloomfield, a
professor at Wayne State University's
School of Business Administration.
Concerning peace, Fried said, "I'm
cautiously optimistic, not pessimistic.
It's clear there's a very strong interest
on both sides . . . but we may not see
the conclusion of the peace process fo'
five more years."

❑

U.S. Cites Israel For Discrimination

Washington
new State Department report accuses Israel of dis-
criminatory practices against non-Jewish groups.
The second annual report on international reli-
gious freedom, released last week, lists Israel among
countries whose governments "implemented laws or
regulations that favor certain religions and place oth-
ers at a disadvantage."
At the same time, the report — mandated by the
International Religious Freedom Act passed by
Congress in 1998 — praises the Jewish state for
improvements with respect to religious freedom.
Most non-Jewish citizens in Israel are Arabs, and
they are subject to various forms of discrimination,
the report charges. The Israeli government does not
provide Israeli Arabs, who make up 20 percent of
the population, with the same quality of education,
housing, employment opportunities and social serv-

A

9/15
2000

26

ices as Jews. Government spending and financial
support are proportionally lower in predominantly
non-Jewish areas than in Jewish areas.
But, the report notes, "it is not clear that what-
ever discrepancies exist in the treatment of various
communities in Israeli society are based on reli-
gion per se."
The report says that evangelical Christians,
Jehovah's Witnesses and Reform and Conservative
Jews suffered some incidents of harassment,
threats and vandalism against their facilities,
reportedly by fervently Orthodox Jewish groups.
Members of these groups have complained in the
past that the police have been slow to investigate
such incidents.
At the same time, the U.S. report says that there
were improvements in religious freedom in Israel. It
cites the March 2000 visit of the pope for contribut-

ing to increased religious tolerance in Israel.
The State Department report, which covers 194
countries, also noted:
• The Iranian government continued to abuse the
religious freedom of minority groups, including
Jews. At the trial this year of 10 Jewish defendants,
ultimately convicted and sentenced to prison terms
ranging from 4 to 13 years on charges of spying, the
Revolutionary Court "deprived the accused of almos
all legitimate means of defense, and its conduct
worsened societal attitudes toward the Jewish com-
munity."
• The number of Jews leaving Russia for economic
reasons and fear of persecution more than doubled
in 1999. Jews continue to encounter societal dis-
crimination, and there are suggestions that there is a
sustained pattern of intensified anti-Semitism.

❑

— Sharon Samber/JTj

