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Sabbath studies Arnold Eagle's 1937 photograph, “Reading the Talmud," is from the Museum of the City of New Y ork. 12 reasons why Israel is U.S. security asset Is Israel a U.S. security asset'.’ The following reprint front the Jewish Institute for National A ffairs newsletter answers that question with an emphatic " Yes!" 1. Israel has a strong, secure location in the Eastern Mediterranean. 2. Israel has a well-developed military infrastructure, featuring a wide range of sophisticated communications, transport, and supply systems. 3. Israeli forces are equipped to maintain, service and repair as needed U.S. origin military equipment including the most sophisticated electronic equipment and aircraft. Israel has a proven capacity for quick turnaround during conflict and the capacity to innovate rapidly in wartime. 4. Israel has an excellent deepwater port at Haifa bay, featuring communications and military infrastructure. 5. Nearby Haifa, Israel has excellent air facilities of the most modern type and can service virtually any variety of jet engine or aircraft type. 6. Israel is close to vital sea lines in the Eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea and Persian Gulf. Her ability to effect a rescue at Entebbe, jam radars in Uganda, maintain in the air a command and control and medivac aircraft, indicate a clear ability to project power over long distances. 7. Israel maintains a domestic air force larger than many fighter forces in Western Europe and possessing more up-to-date military hardware. 8. Israel is a multilingual country with an in-depth capability to monitor Soviet and Eastern European broadcasts, and to maintain surveillance over hostile states in her immediate region. Most Israeli officers read, write and speak English and received training in the United States, Great Britain or France. 9. Israel is experienced in combating Soviet tactics and is familiar with a wide range of Soviet military methods. 10. Israel is well situated to provide substantial assistance to the U.S. Sixth Fleet when operating in the Eastern Mediterranean. It keeps in its arsenal equipment common to the fleet, including naval models of the U.S. Phantom F-4 aircraft, many types of missiles, and the E-2C early-warning aircraft, used widely by the Sixth Fleet. 11. In the case of wide-scale war in which the U.S. may be tied down in southern Europe. Israel can provide essential military support to the U.S. by combating flanking operations sponsored by the Soviets, by lying down local troublemakers, and by requiring the Soviets to commit forces to preventing an Israeli strike against her port facilities, air bases, and military stations in and around the Mediterranean, Israel can also provide emergency air cover for the Sixth Fleet if needed 12. Israel is a democratic country with tested anti-Soviet, pro- Western leanings, a high level of internal order and a strong orientation to support the NATO system. I 1 The Southert VOL. LV Israelite The Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry Our 55th Year Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, December 21, 1979 C cj 7 2'- c uu ■T C MJ (— 1 a: ti er: —• tn _) m cj Abortion restriction passes Knesset action adds life to coalition government By David Landau and Gil Sedan JERUSALEM (JTA) —A controversial amendment to the abortion law passed its first reading in the Knesset this week by a five-vote margin, giving the Aguda Israel factions a substantial victory and thereby saving Premier Menachem Begin’s coalition government. The vote was 58-53 with nine abstentions. Coalition MKs. mainly of the Liberal Party, who had opposed the measure, leading to its defeat in a 54-54 tie vote when it was first submitted to the Knesset last month, observed party discipline this time. They did so after Begin declared-the vote to be one of confidence in his government. The Aguda had threatened to withdraw its four MKs from the coalition unless the restrictive amendment was adopted. That would have left Begin with too slim a majority in the Knesset to govern for long. Shlomo Lorincz, head of the tiny Aguda Knesset faction, said after the vote that it was "a victory for common sense and Jewish morality.” He hailed Begin for honoring his pledge to the Aguda that the amendment would be passed. The amendment eliminates clause five of the present abortion law which permitted abortions for socio-economic reasons — meaning for mothers of poverty- level families with large numbers of children. Likud Party whips had been lobbying vigorously for weeks to bring defectors into line on the issue. The prospect that the governfrfPfit'WMrtd have to resign, if the amendment failed and the Aguda carried out its threat, apparently persuaded many coalition MKs to support it although their conscience dictated otherwise. There was little doubt as to the outcome when the Knesset met Monday. Nevertheless, three members of the Democratic Movement — Deputy Premier Yigael Yadin, Justice Minister Shmuel Tamir and MK Shlomo Eliahu —voted against the amendment. Another Democratif Movement MK, Akiva Nof, absented himself. Unlike the Liberal Party, the Democratic Movement is not bound by coalition discipline in votes on religious issues. Three other coalition MKs— Hillel Seidel, Yosef Tamir and Yitzhak Yitzhaki, either abstained or were absent. Also absent were Geula Gohen and Moshe Shamir, who defected from Herut earlier this year and are now associated with the ultra-nationalist, right- wing Tehiya movement. All Labor MKs opposed the amendment except Rabbi Menachem Hacohen who See Knesset page 21 Whale of a picture This painting by contemporary English artist Fred Aris. is entitled, “Jonah and the Whale." It is part of an exhibition at London's Portal Galleries, by artists of the Naive and Primitive School, depicting Biblical subjects in a modern English setting. 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