For The Record

Michigan's U.S. Senate opponents
have far different records on the Middle East.

ALAN HITSKY

Associate Editor

T

he days when Jewish voters
were influenced by just one
issue — Israel — are long
over. But it would be a mis-
take to think Israel does not remain a
keystone for the American Jewish
community.
It is a mistake that Michigan's junior
U.S. senator, Spencer Abraham (R-
Auburn Hills), has been making
throughout his four years in the upper
chamber, according to a pro-Israel
political-action committee.
Abraham has one of the worst vot-
ing records on Israel of any U.S. sena-
tor, according to the National Political
Action Committee in Washington.
Natpac is a small, pro-Israel PAC run
by Morris Amitay, a former executive
director of the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee.
Natpac's view is shared by the

Washington Report on Middle East
Affairs, a pro-Arab monthly magazine.

Related editorial: page 43

The Monte In
Quality Bands

Swing Votes

Both Republicans and
Democrats are courting the
Arab community.

SHARON SAMBER

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Washington

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oth contenders in the U.S. presi-
dential race are reaching out to
Arab Americans in an unprecedented
way, and the reason is Clear the poten-
tial clout of that constituency come
Election Day.
Last week, Texas Gov. George W.
Bush picked up the support of the
American Muslim Political
Coordinating. Council, just a few weeks
after receiving a lift from an umbrella
group of more than 20 Arab-American
organizations in Michigan, a key battle-
ground state in the upcoming election.
Arab Americans number anywhere

In its September issue, the Washington
Report listed Abraham as one of eight
senators in its "Hall of Fame," based
on his Middle East voting record.
Abraham's election opponent,
Debbie Stabenow, a Democratic con-
gresswoman from Lansing, didn't
make the Washington Report on Middle
East Affairs' Hall of Fame or its Hall of
Shame. But she did receive a 51,000
contribution from Natpac.

Voting Bias

The pro-Arab Washington Report liked
Abraham and its other Hall of Fame
nominees for their voting records on
bills or resolutions on the following
issues:
• Anti-Semitic propaganda in the
Palestinian media and textbooks
• opposition to linking U.S. aid to
asking the Palestinian Authority and
Syria about missing Israeli soldiers
• supporting Palestinian statehood
prior to achieving a peace agreement
with Israel
• prohibiting using terrorism intelli-
gence in evaluating immigration cases
• opposing commuting the U.S.

from 3 to 6 million, depending on
whom you ask.
The groups endorsing Bush say that
while both Bush and Vice President Al
Gore have expressed strong support for
Israel, they are partiCularly concerned.
that Democratic vice presidential can-
didate Joe Lieberman is, as the
Michigan coalition put it, "an activist
for and a champion of the Israeli agen-
da." Arab groups also were clearly
pleased that in the second presidential
debate, Bush said the racial profiling of
Arab Americans is unfair and also men-
doned the use of secret evidence, or
classified information, against people
suspected of terrorist activity who are
detained in the United. States.
Though he did not explain his
position on secret evidence at the
time, Bush was sending a message on
national television to the Arab-
American community, which follows
the issue closely. Congress has been
considering legislation that would
change the rules regarding the use of

prison sentence of Jonathan Pollard,
convicted of spying for Israel
• opposing moving the U.S.
embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
• opposing sanctions against Libya
and Iraq
Add to the list last week's vote:
Abraham was one of only two senators
who declined to sign a letter to
President Bill Clinton that accused
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat of a
deliberate campaign of violence after
Israel had made major peace-treaty
concessions.
Ninety-four senators signed the
AIPAC-sponsored letter. Four others
were absent or ill. Abraham and long-
time Israel opponent Robert Byrd (D-
W. Va.) were the only senators who
refused to sign.
Natpac did not have time to include
Abraham's refusal in its analysis of the
voting records of the senator and Rep.
Stabenow.
But, according to Natpac, over the
last two years in Congress, Stabenow
took a pro-Israel position on the fol-
lowing resolutions and bills:
• Aid to Israel and the Palestinians
after the Wye accord, aid to Israel and

secret evidence in cases against sus-
pected terrorists.
Shordy after the debate, Gore echoed
Bush's opposition to the unfair treat-
ment of Arab Americans and ques-
tioned the use of secret evidence as
well;
He has said he would undertake an
immediate review of all cases involving
people held under secret evidence and
that he supports an end to the use of
secret evidence as long as national secu-
rity is protected.
The Arab American community is
not monolithic in its positions, and is
in some ways a classic "swing" vote.
Some of the more important issues
for the community, according to polls
of Arab Americans, are health care,
education, taxes and the Middle East.
Daniel Pipes, director of the
Philadelphia-based think tank Middle
East Forum, believes the growing
strength of Arab-American groups
may be short-lived but that
American-Muslim groups will feature

