U.S. to Sell F-16 Planes to Israel: Deliveries Will Start October, 1986

The Reagan Administration officially announced Friday its plans to sell 75 F-16 jet fighter planes to Israel, with deliveries starting in December, 1986. This is 11 months later than originally scheduled because of President Reagan’s decision to hold up the sale of the planes after Israel went into Lebanon last June.

The decision, hinted at by Reagan all week, was in the form of official notification of the sale to Congress by the Department of Defense. Congress has 30 days in which it may block the sale, an unlikely event since many in Congress have been pressing for months for the embargo to be lifted.

When all the planes are delivered, now scheduled for September, 1988, Israel will have 150 F-16s. The $2.7 billion sale includes support equipment for the 75 F-16s and training and maintenance equipment costs for all 150 planes.

An hour before the decision was made public, it was announced privately by Secretary of State George Shultz to 110 Jewish leaders representing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and Jewish Republicans, with whom Shultz met for an hour Friday morning at the State Department at his request.

Prior to the general meeting, Shultz had a short meeting with Julius Berman, chairman of the Presidents Conference; Yehuda Hellman, its executive vice chairman; and two leading Jewish Republicans, Max Fisher of Detroit and George Klein of New York.

HEIGHTENED CONCERN ABOUT SOVIET CHALLENGE

The decision was announced at the State Department by spokesman John Hughes. “While the timing of this notification is related to the Israeli agreement with Lebanon, the decision of the sale itself which was approved over a year ago, reflects our long-term commitment to maintain Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region,” Hughes said.

“Our heightened concerns about the Soviet challenge in the region, particularly the Soviet supply of the SA-5 integrated air defense system to Syria, makes it timely for us to send this notification to the Congress now, ” the spokesman added.

Berman, in his comments to reporters, seemed to indicate the emphasis on the Soviet buildup that the Administration made in its announcement on the F-16. He said the Administration was “disturbed” by the Soviet buildup in the Mideast, although it was not “privy” to the discussions between Syria and the Soviet Union. “From that perspective it is more important than ever that America reflects the strategic relationship with Israel, ” Berman stressed.

He would not reveal whether Shultz had discussed the Administration reinstituting the “Memorandum of Understanding ” on strategic relations between Israel and the United States. “This Administration, especially in light of the Shultz shuttle, looks forward to a very strong positive relationship strategically as an ally, between America and Israel, ” Berman said.

LOOKING FORWARD TO BEGIN VISIT

Obviously more pleased than on his previous visits to the State Department, Berman said that both Reagan and Shultz are “looking forward” to a visit to Washington from Israeli Premier Menachem Begin “to continue and to enhance the close cooperation that ensued from the conversations in Israel” which resulted in the Israeli-Lebanese agreement for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. But no date has been set for a Begin visit, he said.

Berman added that the Administration has “strong hopes” that Syria, despite its present rejection, would over a period of time, agree to withdraw from Lebanon. He said the Administration is looking to other Arab states to help persuade the Syrians.

Berman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that as a result of the Israeli-Lebanese agreement the atmosphere between the Administration and the American Jewish community has improved “very much. ” But he cautioned that the Administration, which is now making a major effort in the Jewish community for the 1984 presidential election, does not have the Jewish vote yet. The Administration has “a long way to go ” first and there are “a lot of other issues, ” he said.

“But there’s a feeling that there is a new relationship between Israel and America,” Berman added. “Secretary of State Shultz has a major role to play in that. We also feel that he will be playing a larger role within the Administration along that line in the future and therefore we are optimistic.”