The Zionist Organization of American’s 82nd national convention opens here tonight with the keynote speaker denouncing both Americans, particularly Jews, publicly critical of the Israeli governments and the Carter Administration’s “attempt to blame” Israel for U.S. difficulties in the Arab world.
American Jews who have “embraced” the Peace Now movement in Israel and “chastised” the Israel government for its policies have engaged in “action which borders on irresponsibility,” Ivan Novick, ZOA president, said in remarks prepared for delivery to the more than 500 convention delegates.
“What is this nonsense that there is a need to go before the Christian world to criticize Israel in order to be helpful to the Jewish people?” Novick asked. “It’s an absurdity which defies logic.” He posed questions to Jews who he said, have publicly debated with the Israel government. This apparently was in particular reference to the letter signed by 56 prominent American Jews early last summer to Premier Menachem Begin of Israel.
Novick’s questions were: “Did your actions help achieve a Middle East peace? Did your critical public statements to Israel produce expressions of good will and fellowship from the Arab nations? Did any of the rejectionist states reject the PLO covenant as a result of your rejection of the present government of Israel ? Was your public, scornful and distasteful critical comments directed at other Jews — even a Jewish Prime Minister you may not find to your liking — advantageous to the American Jewish community? And was your slogan ‘Peace Now honest?”
Those who level public criticism of Israel’s leadership, Novick said, “should address serious problems within the American Jewish community, such as the Jewish poor in our major cities, Jewish education, alienation of youth from Jewish activities and the high rate of assimilation and intermarriage. Let us work to solve our problems but let us do it by helping each other — let us not destroy each other.”
SLAMS ADMINISTRATION’S ‘PROPAGANDA LINE’
He said “The Administration’s attempt to blame Israel for U.S. difficulties in winning Arab friendship and oil security” represents “a hoax perpetrated on the American people. A propaganda line has been orchestrated by the Administration and various parties that the differences between Israel and the U.S., especially those concerning the Palestinians, meaning the PLO, is the roof of the problem the U.S. has with the Middle East oil countries rather than the influence of the Soviet Union in the Arab world.”
Novick warned that attacks, at home and abroad, on Israel’s settlement policy were being used by Israel’s enemies “not only to destroy the Jewish State but to destroy its moral legitimacy. ” He emphasized that “there is no greater effort exerted by Arab propagandists against Israel than to deny Israel is a democracy.” Novick said that “Israel’s settlement policy may be considered by some to be unwise but it cannot be claimed to be either immoral or illegal.”
He declared, in reaffirming Israel’s moral right to undivided Jerusalem as its capital that the failure of the U.S. to veto the Aug. 20 resolution in the UN Security Council mat called on governments to remove their embassies from Jerusalem was “in fact a sanction” whose “immediate consequence” was a decision by certain nations to remove their embassies from Jerusalem.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
