Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, October 4, 1982, Page 5
Lobby Activities
For Arabs:
The new-found solidarity of Arab-American organizations which began to manifest itself after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon continued to grow after the invasion of West Beirut and the massacre. The various groups have been holding numerous demonstrations and public meetings to express their outrage and to build support in the U.S. for a cut back in American aid to Israel.
Leading the public outcry has been the American-Arab Anti -Discrimination Committee (ADC), which at a seminar it sponsored on Capitol Hill called for a congressional inquiry into Israel's involvement in the massacre and into charges made by ADC of possible negligence on the part of the U.S. government. During the seminar ADC cited allegations by a PLO spokesman in Washington that the U.S. Embassy in Beirut reported "nothing unusual" was happening in the camps 15 hours after the massacre was believed to have started. ADC's Chairman, former Senator James Abourezk (D-South Dakota), urged Congress in a letter to require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon and to suspend all U.S. military aid.
In addition to sponsoring daily demonstrations near the Israeli Embassy and one at the White House, ADC also turned one of its regular membership meetings into a "town meeting" to lend its support to events sponsored by the Arab Women's Council and the Palestine Congress of North America. These events included a mock funeral procession and memorial service in Washington for the slain Palestinians and daily demonstrations in front of the White House.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Arab Americans has been working quietly on Capitol Hill to prevent U.S. aid increases to Israel that were proposed previously by the Administration for fiscal 1983. In late September the House and the Senate Appropriations Committee approved stopgap aid bills that included assistance at the 1982 level of $2.2 billion annually. However, a U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee delayed a proposal to increase economic and military aid to Middle East countries. The proposals are not expected to be discussed until November, if then.
For Israel:
After having already distanced themselves from Israeli policy after the invasion of Lebanon and Prime Minister Begin's sharp rejection of U.S. peace proposals, the major American Jewish organizations and the Jewish community in general moved into an unprecedented confrontation with the Begin government after the massacre.
The head of the American Jewish Congress, Henry Siegman, called on Israel to "sever all of its ties with the murderous Christian militias responsible," while a similar demand was issued by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.
Dissatisfied by the Israeli government's initial refusal to approve a non-partisan inquiry into the massacre, several groups called on it to launch an independent investigation. The groups included: the American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, B'nai B'rith International, and the Association of Reformed Zionists. On the other hand, little was heard publicly on this issue from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Increasing numbers of individual American Jews were also speaking out. The well known author, Irving Howe, wrote an Op-Ed article which opened with the words: "Let me speak about some American Jews ... we strongly oppose the Begin Sharon government." Members of the New Jewish Agenda (NJA), an organization which promotes mutual recognition between Israel and the Palestinians, demonstrated in Washington near the Israeli Embassy to call for Mr. Begin's resignation. The rally was designed to coincide with a much larger one held in Israel and was attended by NJA representatives from Washington, New York, Philadelphia, and other east coast cities.
