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Clinton Mideast stance angers U.S. Arabs
MATTHEW DORF
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - With great pains and no clear-cut conclusions, the American Jewish community has debated for months whether the Clinton administration is exerting too much pressure on Israel. But among many in the Arab American community, there is no uncertainty. In their view, Clinton capitulated in his showdown with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the president sought to revive the long-dormant Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
Delegates to the 15th annual conference of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee held here last week expressed frustration that Clinton backed down from pressuring Netanyahu to accept a U.S. peace plan that calls for Israel to turn over more land to the Palestinians. Attending sessions such as "50 Years of Biased U.S. Foreign Policy" at a conference dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the "catastrophe," as the founding of Israel is known in the Palestinian community, delegates expressed deep dismay with the White House.
Many blamed the American Jewish community for stepping in to stop Clinton from pushing Netanyahu to make concessions to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. "There was a point when we thought Clinton was moving to pressure Netanyahu in a serious way," said Hala Maksoud, the president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. "Then the influence of the Jewish lobby" stopped Clinton as Jews "rallied to help" Netanyahu, Maksoud said.
With Clinton widely regarded by the Jewish community as one of the most pro-Israel presidents, it seems almost inevitable that Arab Americans would disagree with many of his Middle East policies. Ironically, however, many Jews would agree with the Arab position that it was Jewish political efforts that forced the Clinton administration to back down from its confrontation with the Jewish state.
The Arab American gathering, which brought together more than 600 delegates from around the country, is one of the largest annual Arab American conferences in Washington. The four-day conference ended with a Capitol Hill rally, where hundreds of activists viewed a quilt with 418 panels that the Arabs say represent each Arab village destroyed during Israel's founding.
There has been no survey of Arab American opinion on the peace process, Arab activists said. But in interviews with delegates, a clear picture emerged that most had lost hope that Clinton would follow through with a tougher approach to Israel that the president had laid out earlier this year.
After initially refusing to meet with Netanyahu until he accepted the U.S. plan and threatening to re-evaluate the American approach to the peace process, Clinton, by all accounts, has changed his course. After repeatedly missing American deadlines, Netanyahu has taken more time to consider the U.S. plan to redeploy from a further 13 percent of the West Bank in exchange for specific Palestinian steps to combat terror.
Israeli reports this week said Netanyahu appears to be waiting until the Knesset adjourns at the end of July to commit to a course of action.
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