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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/13669/full/13669/would-u-s-jews-lobby-hard-for-mideast-peace-deal/ <br /><br /> <b>Would U.S. Jews lobby hard for Mideast peace deal?</b> <br /> Friday, July 21, 2000 | by <p>MICHAEL J. JORDAN </p> <br /><br /><p>NEW YORK—If Palestinian and Israeli negotiators eventually succeed in forging peace, it's all but certain that tens of billions of American tax dollars would be needed to underpin such an agreement.<br /><br /> And in cajoling Congress to loosen the purse strings, no group would be more vital than the leading American pro-Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.<br /><br /> No one doubts that AIPAC would "be there" on behalf of a peace deal, despite deep reservations from some corners within the organization.<br /><br /> "There would be initial sticker shock—'I can't believe they're giving up this, I can't believe they're giving up that,'" said a Jewish official familiar with AIPAC.<br /><br /> "But most people would swallow hard, sit back and realize that if [Prime Minister Ehud] Barak, with the credibility as Israel's greatest warrior, says this will enhance Israel's long-term security, the community will respond and rally behind him."<br /><br /> However, in light of a recent open letter critical of Barak, which was signed by several Jewish leaders affiliated with AIPAC, some wonder what degree of enthusiasm its lobbyists would demonstrate.<br /><br /> AIPAC, after all, mirrors American Jewry itself.<br /><br /> Its 463-member executive committee spans the political spectrum of Jewish groups and individuals, encompassing the wide range of American Jewish opinion on how best to achieve Mideast peace and guarantee security for the Jewish state.<br /><br /> With Barak so driven in his quest for peace, a number of U.S. Jewish groups and officials have expressed concern that Barak is prepared to breach several "red lines" drawn by previous Israeli leaders on such issues as the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, national borders and Jewish settlements.<br /><br /> Nowhere were these divisions so evident as in a series of recent newspaper ads.<br /><br /> One, spearheaded by the Zionist Organization of America, featured an open letter to Barak criticizing the prime minister for appearing to concede too much in peace negotiations.<br /><br /> The letter, signed by 30 leading American Jewish figures, was published throughout Israel, in the New York Times and in several U.S. Jewish papers.<br /><br /> Another full-page ad, which promoted the peace process, appeared in the Times on July 12, the first full day of the Camp David summit, and in Jewish papers. It was sponsored by the Israel Policy Forum.<br /><br /> The July 12 open letter to Barak, which carried 384 signatures, stated that "the overwhelming majority of American Jews support this peace initiative."<br /><br /> A third letter appeared in the Washington Post to welcome Barak to the Camp David summit. Sponsored by the 54-member Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, it carried the names of only 36 members.<br /><br /> Several did not sign, said Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents, because "they didn't want to."<br /><br /> AIPAC, a member of the Conference of Presidents, itself appeared as a signatory on the third letter, but AIPAC-affiliated individuals were also signatories to the first two dueling letters.<br /><br /> AIPAC's skittishness over the issue was highlighted when it demanded the resignation of its executive committee chairman, Gerald Charnoff, for signing the ZOA-sponsored letter.<br /><br /> Charnoff was the most prominent of the eight current or past AIPAC committee members who signed the letter. He was, however, allowed to remain on the executive committee.<br /><br /> Charnoff's link with AIPAC was not mentioned in the ZOA letter. But there was concern that officials in Washington and Jerusalem would connect the dots, tarnishing AIPAC's reputation even though only a handful of its executive committee members had signed the ZOA letter.<br /><br /> More than two dozen members of AIPAC's executive committee signed the Israel Policy Forum-sponsored letter supporting Barak's efforts.<br /><br /> For their part, AIPAC officials insist the lobby—consistently ranked as one of the most influential on Capitol Hill—would lead the charge for a financial aid package to secure peace.<br /><br /> "AIPAC's record in supporting the peace process is clear and unambiguous, and we are very proud of it," AIPAC spokesman Kenneth Bricker said.<br /><br /> However, the ZOA letter raised important questions about AIPAC: If there is internal unease with a peace agreement that relinquishes more than expected, how would that unease affect the timing and style of AIPAC's lobbying campaign?<br /><br /> Some observers think that support among AIPAC's board—and intensified AIPAC activity on behalf of a financial aid package—would come only after the Israeli public gave its stamp of approval in a referendum, which has been promised by Barak.<br /><br /> Israeli rejection by referendum would render AIPAC's lobbying moot.<br /><br /> AIPAC, since its creation in 1954, has been a forum for lively internal debate and instrumental in honing relations between Israel and the United States, say American Jewish officials familiar with its workings.<br /><br /> Critics have suggested that AIPAC was too closely allied with the right-wing Likud Party, now Israel's opposition party, and was lukewarm about the peace process unveiled at Oslo in 1993.<br /><br /> If Barak were to succeed with a peace agreement, it would inevitably fall to AIPAC and its allies to explain Barak's vision to the 535 members of Congress.</p> <p> </p>

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