Newspaper Page Text
e Southern Israelite
The Weekly Newspaper For Southern Jewry •
Since 1925
Vol. LXI
Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, March 15, 1985
No. 11
Egyptian gambit fails
Reagan tells Mubarak Israel, Arabs must talk
by Joseph Polakoff
TSI's Washington correspondent
WASHINGTON—President Rea
gan blunted Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak’s peace offensive
this week and suggested to him
that Egypt improve its relations
with Israel as a foundation for
Arab-Israeli negotiations.
In their White House conference
Tuesday, Reagan told the visiting
leader of the most populous Arab
state that direct negotiations be
tween Israel and Arab governments
must set the stage for a settlement.
The president later indicated to the
media that Mubarak had made
“the realistic assessment” that di
rect negotiations are the path to
peace.
Mubarak appeared crestfallen
when he appeared with the president
before the media, and numerous
Arab correspondents were down
cast as a top administration official
provided details of the third meet
ing in three years between Mubarak
and Reagan.
Hosni Mubarak
Mubarak came to Washington
preceded by a campaign aimed to
ward a meeting between the United
States and a Jordanian-Palestinian
delegation to set the opening for
talks by such a delegation with Israel.
Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir
and others in the Israeli govern
ment have denounced that move as
opening the door for the U.S. to
deal with the Palestine Liberation
tion Organization without the PLO
recognizing Israel and renouncing
terrorism.
Mubarak also sought parity with
Israel in the amount of money the
United States would give the two
countries, arguing that Egypt as a
partner in the Camp David Accords
was entitled to that financing. Rea
gan rejected this proposal in his
meeting with Mubarak. Asserting
that the U.S. welcomes the improve
ment in Egyptian-Israeli relations,
the briefing official said “the inte
grity of this relationship is basic for
further progress in the peace pro
cess.” Later he said a “sound Egypt-
ian-Israeli relationship is the major
take-off point” for Arab-Israeli ne
gotiations. The briefing officer said
that the U.S., while recognizing
Egypt’s partnership in Camp David,
has made “no commitment to par
ity” and “equality with Israel on
funding.” Cairo has made calls for
more U.S. aid to match Israel’s re-
President Reagan
quest for funds to help meet its
economic crisis.
In the customary Rose Garden
departure ceremony a year ago,
Mubarak aroused resentment with
in the administration and the Con
gress by demanding, in public view
with the president at his side, that
the U.S. deal with the PLO. This
time, in bidding farewell to Reagan,
Mubarak did not mention the PLO.
He profusely praised Reagan’s activ
ities and expressed hope that they
“work together in the months a-
head” on “available options” for
peace. Mubarak expressed two usual
remarks regarding Arab positions.
These were that “we agree together
on the centrality of the Palestine
question to the situation in the Mid
dle East” and that “no nation is
more qualified than America to
support the Palestinian people’s
right to self-determination.” The
PLO, the briefer said was not men
tioned in the Reagan-Mubarak
talks.
In apparent conflict with the
Egyptian’s comment, the president
said, before Mubarak had spoken,
that “we note particularly your
(Mubarak's) realistic assessment
that the peace between Israel and
its Arab neighbors is through di
rect negotiations” and that “such
See Mubarak, page 2.
Cautious optimism
Gorbachev’s views on Soviet Jews not known
by Kevin Freeman
NEW YORK (JTA)—A mood
best described as cautious optim
ism prevailed here this week among
officials involved with Soviet Jew
ish affairs as they speculated on the
effect the new Soviet leader, Mik
hail Gorbachev, will have on Soviet
policy toward its Jewish community.
Gorbachev was named Monday
to succeed President Konstantin
Chernenko who died Sunday even
ing.
The 54-year-old Gorbachev, rep
resenting a younger generation in
Soviet leadership ranks, was elected
General Secretary of the Soviet
Communist Party, the country’s
most powerful political position at
a session of the Central Committee.
Clearly the analysts suggested in
interviews with the Jewish Tele
graphic Agency that it remained
too early to determine the trend of
the new government toward deal
ing with Soviet Jewish citizens,
particularly on issues regarding cul
tural and religious freedoms and
emigration.
At the same time, these same
analysts suggested that Gorbachev’s
past overtures to the West, includ
ing visits to Britain and Canada,
and his call Monday for economic
reforms and a return to the policy
of detente, may result in an easing
of the plight of Soviet Jews.
Soviet Jewish emigration from
the Soviet Union descended to its
lowest levels in 1984, with only 896
Jews allowed to leave the USSR.
This is a drastic reduction from the
more than 50,000 who were per
mitted to emigrate in 1979 while
Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev
was in power.
Along with the decrease in emi
gration, Soviet Jews suffered under
President Chernenko and Yuri An
dropov a serious increase in har
assment and persecution. There
appears to have been a stepped up
effort to suppress Jewish cultural
and religious teachings in the So
viet Union, with sweeping arrests
being made in recent months of
unofficial teachers of Hebrew.
According to William Korey, di
rector of international policy re
search for B’nai B’rith Internation
al, little is known in the public do
main of Gorbachev’s attitude with
regard to Soviet Jewish emigration
and religious and cultural freedom.
There is no record of this kind on
Gorbachev, Korey said.
However, it was widely reported
that Margaret Thatcher, the Brit
ish prime minister, raised with Gor
bachev last December the situation
of Soviet Jews and Soviet dissidents.
Gorbachev, according to reports,
told Thatcher he had nothing new
to say on the matter and referred
her to Soviet legislation.
On the same visit to Britain, Nor
man St. John-Stevas, a Conserva
Pre-EXPO party
Among those attending a recent reception for hosts and hostesses of the opening night festivities at the
High Museum marking the beginning of Israel EXPO ’85, were (left to right): Phyllis Freedman, Joan
Lipson, Ruth Singer, Lenore Gold, Dr. Perry Brickman and Gudmund Vigtel. See story on page 15.
tive member of Parliament, ques
tioned him on religious freedom.
Gorbachev was reported to have
answered, “You govern your so
ciety; you leave us to govern ours.”
In citing “positive” aspects of
Gorbachev’s ascent to power, Korey
asserted that talk of a return to
detente along with a perception of
Gorbachev as a strong and vigorous
leader may prove helpful for Soviet
Jews.
Furthermore, the B’nai B’rith of
ficial suggested that as an advocate
of detente and his stated position
of seeking economic reforms, there
appears the need for the Soviets to
engage with the West in negotia
tions for new technology. This,
Korey said, would increase the
West’s bargaining position to seek
an easing of the human rights situ-
See Gorbachev, page 2.