JINSA Roundup: 1
1) MK Uzi Landau, Chairman of the Knesset Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee, visited Washington under JINSA’s auspices last week. He met with Senators Joseph Lieberman, Jon Kyl, Bill Frist and Kay Bailey Hutchinson, as well as with Congressmen J.C. Watts, Jim Saxton, Gary Ackerman and Dan Burton. Dr. Landau discussed the current impasse in Israel-PLO negotiations and PA violations of the Oslo Accords.
1) MK Uzi Landau, Chairman of the Knesset Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee, visited Washington under JINSA’s auspices last week. He met with Senators Joseph Lieberman, Jon Kyl, Bill Frist and Kay Bailey Hutchinson, as well as with Congressmen J.C. Watts, Jim Saxton, Gary Ackerman and Dan Burton. Dr. Landau discussed the current impasse in Israel-PLO negotiations and PA violations of the Oslo Accords. He stressed the dangers to Israeli security that would accompany continued Israeli concessions without Palestinian compliance on key issues – most importantly fighting terrorism and halting incitement to violence. Saying he was not presently prepared to abandon the Oslo process, he nevertheless made it clear that the Israeli public was opposed to further concessions under the current circumstances.
2) During the past year, JINSA has expressed concern that the Immigration & Naturalization Service might grant political asylum to Anwar Haddam, a high-ranking member of the Algerian radical fundamentalist group FIS. (The FIS is one of two main groups responsible for large-scale terrorism in Algeria, primarily directed at civilians.) We are pleased to note that a tremendous number of JINSA members made their concern about this possibility know to their members of Congress. The effort has borne fruit. Sen. Phil Gramm received a latter from INS, stating in part, “The INS has not granted, nor is entertaining, an application for political asylum for Mr. Haddam…Mr. Haddam is currently under exclusion proceedings… Be assured, any application(s)… will take into full consideration any proven facts of his background.” We would like to thank the JINSA members who decided to make their concerns known to their representatives.
3) Tom Neumann, Shoshana Bryen and Jim Colbert attended a privately hosted tea for Jordan’s Crown Prince Hassan during the Prince’s visit to Washington. In response to a question, the Crown Prince said the peace process is not irrevocable, and expressed concern that “moderates (in the Middle East) feel that centrism doesn’t pay.” He added that international concern in the region centered on “oil, security and Israel,” but more attention should be given to “the politics of despair and the economics of despair.” Calling for dialogue among all the players in the region, including Saddam Hussein and representatives of the Iranian government, Prince Hassan said dialogue with Iran should be on the basis of “an enforced code of conduct.”
For next month: On July 15, JINSA will be hosting Professor Stephen Blank, Douglas MacArthur Professor of Research, Strategic Studies Institute at the U.S. Army Way College for a lecture on the current states of the Russian military. Prof. Blank’s most recent book is Imperial Decline: Russia’s Changing Role in Asia.