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October 29, 1999/19 Cheshvan 5760, Vol. 52, No.9
Activists descend on D.C. to push for Wye funding
MICHAEL SHAPIRO
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
With nearly $2 billion in aid to fund the Wye agreement still trapped in the budget battle between congressional Republicans and President Clinton, pro-Israel activists and Israeli officials are engaged in one of their most intense lobbying efforts in years.
A few hundred activists and several top Israeli officials descended on Capitol Hill this week to urge lawmakers to provide the aid requested by the president before Congress adjourns this fall. Two hundred members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, who were in Washington for a previously scheduled meeting, met with 150 lawmakers on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 25-26, including Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), who told AIPAC members Tuesday that he would back the inclusion of Wye funds in any foreign aid bill that is passed. Members also met with National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, who expressed the Clinton administration's support for the Wye funds.
"The members (of Congress) we met with are overwhelmingly supportive of the Wye aid," AIPAC Executive Director Howard Kohr said Wednesday, Oct. 27. "The real issue has always been about finding the right legislative vehicle within the framework of the overall budget. With Senator Lott's support, we are now one step closer to that goal."
Valley AIPAC member Eugene Schupak said Lott's support is key to the future of Wye funding, and AIPAC members are optimistic that peace efforts will get needed financial backing from the United States.
"I'd be very surprised if Congress doesn't pass something (that includes Wye aid) before they adjourn for Thanksgiving," said Schupak, who went to Washington this week with fellow Valley AIPAC members David Weiner and Mel and Shirley Myland.
Other Jewish groups have also stepped up their efforts to secure the aid, which was pledged by Clinton when Israel and the Palestinians signed the Wye accord a year ago. Clinton asked Congress to provide Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians with $1.9 billion in special funds to help implement the deal which, among other things, called on Israel to undertake a further withdrawal from the West Bank in three phases in exchange for an aggressive Palestinian effort to root out terrorism.
So far, only $100 million for Jordan was approved after the death of King Hussein in February. Clinton had asked for $1.2 billion for Israel, $400 million for the Palestinians and $300 million for Jordan.
The Anti-Defamation League and Hadassah are sending letters supporting the Wye aid to every member of Congress. The ADL was also planning to advertise this week in two Capitol Hill newspapers read widely by lawmakers and their staffs. The ads discuss the "the critical importance of the Wye commitment and the damage that could result from the delay of funding."
The job of the Jewish community is "to condition the environment in Washington" so that the Wye money will be included "when the president and the Congress are sitting around the table" looking for a legislative vehicle to fund the special aid package, said Martin Raffel, associate executive vice chairman for the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the umbrella group of local community relations councils. Raffel said officials at community councils across the country were urging members of their local communities to urge their lawmakers to support the Wye aid.
At the time of the Wye signing, Republican congressional leaders raised concerns about how they would pay for Clinton's pledge and were upset that they were not consulted before the offer was made. Those concerns became moot after implementation of the agreement was halted by then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But now, with the agreement moving forward after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat reached a new understanding in Egypt in September, funding for Wye has become an issue once again.
It has also become one of the focal points in the battle over spending priorities between the Republican-controlled Congress and the Democratic-controlled White House. Last week, Clinton vetoed a $12.6 billion foreign aid bill that narrowly passed both houses of Congress because it fell $2 billion short of his request and does not include funding for Wye. The bill included nearly $3 billion in economic and military aid for Israel.
The foreign aid bill "sent the worst possible signal to our friends in the Middle East, and the strongest possible encouragement to those in the region who would do us harm," Berger said last week at an event sponsored by the Israel Policy Forum. "As we have made clear, the president will not sign a foreign operations bill that does not contain" the Wye aid.
As part of the Israeli lobbying effort, top government officials made a pilgrimage to Capitol Hill urging key lawmakers to appropriate the aid. Public Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami and Science Minister Matan Vilnai met with lawmakers on Monday and Tuesday. Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh concluded meetings last week, expressing optimism that the aid would be approved before Thanksgiving.
Kohr said the exact legislative vehicle for aid is still not clear. Observers said the aid could be included in a revamped foreign aid bill or some kind of catch-all spending bill that would fund programs not already provided through the regular appropriations process.
Michael Shapiro writes from Washington, D.C. Jewish News Contributing Editor Lou Hirsh contributed to this report.
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