Christopher Briefs Jewish Leaders, Impresses Them with His Commitment

Jewish organizational leaders emerged from a meeting with Secretary of State Warren Christopher this week more confident that the Clinton administration has the best interests of Israel at heart.

Sources said the meeting Wednesday, which lasted about 45 minutes, was “very upbeat and positive,” and that Christopher was forthcoming on such issues as the peace process, Syrian Jewry and the Arab economic boycott against Israel.

In his remarks to the group of over 100 Jewish organizational leaders and campaign contributors, Christopher discussed his recent meetings here with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, as well as his own trip to the Middle East last month.

Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said after the meeting that the secretary succeeded in conveying to him the Clinton administration’s commitment to “sensitivity, understanding and a new level of cooperation” in the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Before Clinton’s inauguration, Foxman had been among those Jewish organizational leaders expressing concern about where Christopher and other foreign policy appointees with past ties to the Carter administration would stand on Israel.

Christopher’s attitude toward Israel at the off-the-record meeting, sources said, was similar to the warm tone displayed by President Clinton following his meeting Monday with Rabin.

SPOKE OF HIGH REGARD FOR RABIN

The secretary spoke of his high regard for the Israeli prime minister, and of the trust and confidence the two officials have developed.

Christopher has been heavily involved in working toward a resumption of the Arab-Israeli peace talks. The talks are scheduled to reconvene here April 20, but it is unclear whether the Palestinian delegation will show up.

The Palestinians remain unsatisfied by a U.S.-Israeli compromise solution on the 415 Palestinians deported by Israel in December.

But according to one participant in Wednesday’s meeting, Christopher said he viewed the way the United States and Israel dealt with the issue as a model to be followed in the future.

The secretary indicated during the meeting that there would be no further pressure on Israel to resolve the deportation issue. He said he was hopeful the Palestinians would return to the peace talks, or to the working groups that will take place prior to the talks.

Overall, Christopher did not discuss the specifics of his meetings with Rabin, sources said. But, according to one participant, the secretary did marvel at Rabin’s ability to concentrate on his Washington agenda while a spate of terror attacks in Israel were going on.

Gail Pressberg, president of Americans for Peace Now, described Wednesday’s meeting, which was organized by the White House, as “very relaxed.” She praised Christopher for his “great sense of humor” and lack of “arrogance.”