The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, while opposed to President Reagan’s proposed $354 million sale of missiles to Saudi Arabia, will not actively lobby against the sale in Congress, AIPAC sources said Tuesday. The AIPAC decision was officially disclosed to Secretary of State George Shultz by Thomas Dine, AIPAC’s executive director, last Thursday, according to the sources.
This move follows the announcement by the Israeli government earlier this month that it will not actively campaign against the proposed sale. But the Cabinet announcement stressed that Israel continues to be opposed to the sale of weapons to countries that are in a state of war with it. Most observers here see the decision by both Israel and AIPAC as aimed at not wanting to damage the present good relations between Israel and the United States over an issue that is considered only marginal to Israel’s security.
The AIPAC sources said they believe they could have obtained the votes in both Houses of Congress to block the sale. But they stressed that the threat posed to Israel by the missiles was “not proportional” to the cost of a fight against the sale.
The Administration proposes to sell the Saudis 1,666 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, 200 shoulder-fired Stinger ground-to-air missile systems plus 600 replacement missiles and 100 Harpoon air-to-sea missiles. All are weapons the Saudis already have.
The AIPAC sources stressed that in a way they have already “won” since the proposed sale is much less that the $1 billion in arms the Administration wanted to sell the Saudis last year but withdrew because of Congressional opposition. That proposal also included MI tanks, Blackhawk transport helicopters, and enhanced equipment for 60 F-15 fighters the Saudis bought earlier.
It is this equipment that the sources pointed to as having the most potential threat for Israel. They include a central computer and other electronic equipment that give the F-15s better reaction time in dogfights. It is the advanced electronic equipment available for the F-15 that makes it the best fighter in the world, a source noted.
ADDITIONAL ARMS SALE LEFT OPEN
Administration spokesmen have said that the proposed missile sale is the only arms sale to the Saudis this year. However, they have left open whether additional arms will be proposed in 1987.
President Reagan and others in the Administration have argued that the sale would not endanger Israel. They have maintained that it is needed for Saudi security and for the defense of the Persian Gulf against Iran and terrorists. However, delivery of the missiles would not begin until 1989 and run through 1991.
While the argument of Gulf security needs may be effective in Congress, especially in the Republican-controlled Senate, there is a strong feeling among many in Congress that no arms should be sold to Saudi Arabia, as was the case also with Jordan, unless it demonstrates support for the peace process in the Middle East.
This is the position of Sen. Alan Cranston (D. Calif.), who has been gathering signatures on a resolution to reject the proposed missile sale. Cranston believes the issue is beyond Israel’s security and argues that the Saudis have failed to support U.S. national security interests by not helping the effort to bring about direct negotiations between the Arabs and Israel.
Reagan notified Congress of the proposed sale on March 11. The sale will go through unless both the House and Senate adopt resolutions of disapproval within 50 working days of the notification date.
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