Amerikai Magyar Értesítő, 1982 (18. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1982-09-01 / 9. szám

Israel’s Most Valuable Weapon 1982. szeptember A. M. ÉRTESÍTŐ 19. oldal Washington. A N American, coughing in the L smoke-filled basement of a burning hotel in west Beirut, put the question succinctly: “Where is the American admin­istration? Is Reagan awake?” The answer is that the American administration is cowering in Washington and that the president By Mary McGrory is awake—awake, that is, to the fact that this is an election year, when it is especially dangerous to criticize Israel. Bombs and shells rained down on west Beirut for 14 hours a week ago today. On Wednesday they came from air, land and sea, from midnight to nightfall. But it is not politic to deplore indiscriminate bombing of civilians with the fall campaign so close at hand. On Tuesday, President Reagan went to Hartford, Connecticut, to fall all over the Knights of Colum­bus and to say, with a perfectly straight face, “I. . . believe that the protection of innocent life is, and has always been, a legitimate, in­deed, the first, duty of govern­ment.” For “innocent” read “un­born.” He was speaking of abor­tion. That day, the slaughter of inno­cents was proceeding with weapons made in the United States. The morning papers carried a picture of a 5-month-old baby who lost both arms in the shelling. On the nightly news, a blazing-eyed young Leba- nese-American woman doctor named Amal Shamma, who was standing in the Berbir Hospital amid victims of phosphorus and cluster bombs, pointed to the corpses of 5-day-old twin girls and said she hoped the Israelis felt more “secure” now that the twins were dead. Mr. Reagan forbears even to note the Israelis are breaking an agreement by using vicious cluster bombs in offensive action. He is not even sure yet that the Israeli as­sault is not “defensive.” The vio­lence, he said, recently is “two- way”—as if the Palestine Libera­tion Organization had suddenly ac­quired an air force and a navy to match the Israelis shot for shot. But we are not, it seems, to think that our president is callous or obtuse. Why just last Sunday he said he was going to be “firm” with Israeli Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir, at their meeting. “Firm” consisted of conspicu­ously not joshing with the minister when they gathered for the photo opportunity. It was the use of as deadly a weapon as he had em­ployed against Prime Minister Menachem Begin at their June ses­sion. You remember he withheld his famous smile. We have seen the devastating effect this had on both callers. They sent tanks into west Beirut. Mr. Begin has taken Mr. Rea­gan’s measure. He knows that de­spite his campaign calls for “tough­ness” in foreign policy, Mr. Reagan shies away from decisive, unpleas­ant actions. Wednesday night, after even the American Hospital in Bei­rut had been hit, Mr. Begin told a group of visiting American Jews that “nobody will preach to us.” That is singularly arrogant from a welfare client. Nobody from the Reagan administration would stand for it in the South Bronx. The United States subsidizes Israel at the rate of $7 million a day. But Mr. Reagan doesn’t breathe the word “sanctions.” Israeli spokes­men tell us that Israel is “an inde­pendent state” when asked if its leaders take any account of the muffled expressions of “displeas­ure” from the White House. The equation has been starkly put to timid politicians: If you con­demn Israel, you condone the PLO and terrorism. Never mind that thousands are dying. It will be worth it all if we can just get Yassir Arafat and his gunmen out of Bei­rut. What lies beyond, except for a land-office business in artificial limbs? We have no idea. The political cost to Mr. Reagan can be charges of impotence or cal­lousness or both. But he is willing to face them. Besides his election- year consideration, he has his devo­tion to Israel as an anti-Communist bastion. And his pollster Richard Wirthlin tells him that Americans are torn between long-held sympa­thy for the Israel that used to be, and horror for what the Israel that is has wrought in Beirut. As long as the country temporizes, Mr. Rea­gan can temporize. He has much Democratic com­pany in his shelter. Two prominent liberals, Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Connecti­cut Representative Toby Moffett, whose hearts hemorrhaged at the plight of carpet-bombing victims in Vietnam and at the sight of refu­gees in Central America, have told Mr. Reagan to move over. They lent their names and quotes to a full-page ad taken out in the New York Times by the American Jewish Congress. Mr. Moffett, a Lebanese-American run­ning for the Senate, recited the weasel resolution he seconded at the Democrats’ mini-convention in Philadelphia. For his part, Mr. Kennedy ech­oed the slogan of the Jewish De­fense League. “Never again should Lebanon be a base for terrorism and murder.” Mr. Kennedy is run­ning for re-election and wants to build up massive majorities for his presidential prospects. Jewish voters vote, you know. The only courage on the scene is displayed by the doctors in Beirut. They tend the wounded and the dying, whose numbers will increase as long as the United States pro­vides the Israelis with a most valu able weaDon—silence THE SUN, Sunday, August 8, 1982 Human Rights Politics tights abuses. Bm not one mention is . , made of any abuses in Communist The U.N. Human Rights Commit- countries such as the Soviet Union, tee, which is supposed to be the pjijna, Vietnam, Afghanistan or East- world’s watchdog on political abduc- ern Klirnpi, Can jt be thilt there are tion, imprisonment and torture, is no abuses 0f human rights in these amazingly tolerant in its latest annual countries? Or are there no human report. It cites 22 countries, mostly in rjghts there to be abused? Latin America and Africa, for human JHf WA,, strket journal Israel aid total may shock some Knight-Ridder WASHINGTON—Israel may be “will be a blockbuster” when it is obtaining far more American mili- made public early next year, shortly tary and economic aid than roost after Congress reconvenes, members of Congress know about— GAO officials now believe that the perhaps as much as 60 percent more desire for a thorough examination of than commonly accepted figures, the the U.S.-Israeli arms supply relation- Generäl Accounting Office has in- sb*P >s high in Congress because of formed Congress. many questions that have arisen The Israelis have obtained more about the use of U.S. arms in Lebanon than $22.5 billion in military and eco- hy the Israelis, nomic aid—including arms sales— “I think we’re getting to a point from the United States since 1974, the where Congress wants to look at some GAO reported in a preliminary study of the tougher questions,” one official Official Pentagon and State De- iiaid partment reports that are commonly According to commonly accepted accepted as accurate by Congress Pentagon figures, Israel has obtained have set the figure at $14.1 billion. about $8.3 billion in arms from the The GAO, which acts as a watch- United States since 1974 under the dog for Congress in monitoring the foreign military sales program, executive branch of the government. ^tate Department reports that has begun an in-depth study of U.S. ec°nomic support funds for Israel aid to Israel. One congressional s*nce 1974 have totaled about $5.7 bil- source describes the study as the *10n “most far reaching and intensive" ef- A major issue could develop next fort of its kind ever undertaken. year over how much of the GAO study GAO officials confirmed thai such may be made public. In the past sub- a study has been launched. In the stantial portions of many GAO stud­meantime, the reasons fpr the differ- ies on arms sales have been classi- ence between the $22.5 billion figure fied and the $14.1 billion figure are un- The congressional source said that clear, and the GAO would not discuss tbe ®AO also's looking into a large the study. number of substantial loans to Israel “It was a self-initiated study," one that have been quietly “forgiven” by GAO official said, “which we decided the United States to undertake because of the size and “There are substantial costs to the uniqueness of the U.S.-Israeli pro- taxPayer in the forgiveness proce- gram. Many members of Congress dures,” the sources said, “which ap- have [shown] great interest.” Pear to he far more common than is A detailed preliminary briefing on generally realized the study was given recently behind Regarding the study as a whole, closed doors to some members ofthe source said: “The GAO is putting Congress and staff aides. it a11 together and adding it all up. To One source who attended the brief- see 11 a11 together is incredible, it's ing said that the GAO’s final report eye-opening THE EVENING SUN, Wednesday, August 25, 1982

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