American Jews and the GOP

Sofaer’s article on why Jews should support the GOP was right on the mark. President Bush’s policy in the Middle East has clearly advanced the prospects of peace for Israel, even though many of us disagree with his stand on the settlements. The main criticism has been over the blocking of the loan guarantees last year, which has now been reversed with the advent of the Labor government under Yitzhak Rabin. It has long been my opinion that the denial of the guarantees was done for the express purpose of influencing the Israeli elections and bringing about a more conciliatory stand on giving up all or part of Judea, Samaria and the Golan, which Shamir and Likud would not do and which Rabin is now apparently planning. The American Jewish and non-Jewish public, by a wide majority, support that approach.

Surveys have shown that the leadership of the major Jewish organizations have been lamenting the actions of the Likud government for years and thirsting for a Labor victory. If the loan guarantees had been granted to the Shamir government last year, it would have guaranteed a Likud victory in the election. Bush and Baker’s stand on the loan guarantee issue caused Rabin to make amelioration of American relations one of his significant goals, and curtailment of settlements was the mechanism for that bettering of relations.

Logic would dictate that liberal Jews should be very happy and grateful to Bush for achieving the victory of their preferred candidate, Rabin, and the Labor party, and for getting the peace talks moving.

CARL PEARLSTON, Torrance