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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/18264/full/18264/with-congress-vacationing-bombing-stirs-little-reaction/ <br /><br /> <b>With Congress vacationing, bombing stirs little reaction</b> <br /> Friday, August 9, 2002 | by <p>MATTHEW E. BERGERJewish Telegraphic Agency </p> <br /><br /><p>Jewish leaders said they hope the attack at an institute of higher learning and the possible targeting of Americans studying there would change the mindset of both political leaders and the American public, to offer stronger support for Israel and Israeli anti-terror operations.<br /><br /> "My sense is that this was one of those instances that touched people," said Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. "It had a singular impact."<br /><br /> Traditionally, however, little happens in Washington in August. Lawmakers mostly have returned to their districts to campaign for re-election, and the president has departed for a monthlong vacation in Texas.<br /><br /> As a result, the recent upsurge of Palestinian violence is expected to have far less impact than it would during the other 11 months of the year.<br /><br /> The Hebrew University attack did garner a strong rhetorical reaction from the White House. Speaking with Jordan's King Abdullah on Aug. 1, a day after the bombing, Bush said he was "just as angry as Israel is right now" and said the United States would work to track down the Americans' killers.<br /><br /> Bush also said Israel "must defend herself," which some interpreted as a green light for a strong Israeli reprisal. That in itself could be a change in attitude for a Bush administration that late last month called an Israeli airstrike on Hamas' military leader "heavy-handed."<br /><br /> In a significant development, the White House announced that FBI officials would go to Israel to assist in the investigation, a first since the Palestinian intifada began in September 2000. The FBI team arrived in Israel on Monday, according to Israeli media.<br /><br /> Some analysts say the FBI investigation could signal a concern within the Bush administration that Hamas and other terrorist groups are targeting Americans, which Hamas has denied. If a terrorist group is found to be specifically targeting Americans, analysts say, U.S. policy in the Middle East could change significantly.<br /><br /> But little else has been done here to address the Americans' deaths. This doesn't surprise some pro-Israel activists who accuse the United States of downplaying the murder of Americans in Israel so as not to jeopardize halting moves to revive the peace process, such as reforming the institutions of the Palestinian Authority.<br /><br /> The only Jewish organization actively using the attack as a platform for policy change is the hawkish Zionist Organization of America, which has been seeking broader support for a bill stepping up efforts to find those who kill American citizens in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip.<br /><br /> "The only change we're really seeing in Congress and the State Department is a renewed desire to bring to justice Palestinian Arabs who have murdered American citizens," said Morton Klein, ZOA president.<br /><br /> The Koby Mandell Act, named after a 13-year-old boy originally from Maryland who was murdered last year in the West Bank, would create an office within the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute those responsible for killing Americans overseas.<br /><br /> The ZOA, which has sought additional action against killers of Americans through the State Department's "Rewards for Justice" program, believes the new office is necessary to combat what it calls State Department apathy.<br /><br /> Some American Jewish groups praise the bill but are not actively touting it, feeling that it is somewhat impractical. Few believe it will come up for a vote this year.<br /><br /> Other pro-Israel activists argue that if an attack of this magnitude had occurred while Congress was in session, both houses would have passed resolutions in support of Israel, and pro-Israel forces would have undertaken a significant lobbying effort to expedite other pro-Israel bills.</p> <p> </p>

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