The Arab-Israeli Battle on Capitol Hill
Mary A. Barberis
FOR informed Americans, the long-standing and intimate involvement of the United States in the Middle East provokes a sense of déjà vu with each new headline. Clashes, accords, peacekeeping, negotiations, commitments, and the locations—Sinai, Suez, Golan, Cairo, Jerusalem, etc. —have all become familiar through repetition. A recurring theme throughout has been the emphasis on America's alliance with Israel. Over the years, Israel has always managed to retain its special friendship with the U.S., despite the attempts of several administrations to espouse policies of "evenhandedness" or to conduct "reassessments."
There are quite a few reasons for this friendship, but some have attributed it, in varying degrees, to the success of the "Jewish lobby." A notable example of this view was expressed in 1974 by General George S. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "It (The Jewish lobby) is so strong, you wouldn't believe it now," Brown said. "We have the Israelis coming to us for equipment. We say we can't possibly get the Congress to support a program like that. They say "Don't worry about the Congress. "" He also charged that Jews controlled the banks and newspapers in the United States, a charge promptly and properly rebutted. Yet even some of the general's most vehement critics, including a few U.S. Jewish leaders, admitted the presence of an effective pro-Israel lobby on Capitol Hill. They pointed out, however, that pressure groups of all kinds are, after all, a part of the American political process, and even an integral and healthy aspect of any democratic system.
Traditionally, the bastion of pro-Israel sentiment has been the Congress. There has been a consistent line of congressional support for a Jewish state ever since 1922 when a joint resolution was adopted favoring the Balfour Declaration. On Jan. 27, 1944, Congress passed another resolution declaring:
