Jewish Groups Press for Probe into Charges of Spying by Saudis

In the wake of allegations that the Saudi Arabian government is spying on American Jewish groups, the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Defense League are urging U.S. officials to investigate the charges.

A former Saudi diplomat who is seeking political asylum in the United States has leveled the spying charges against the Saudi government.

Mohammed al-Khilewi, who served as first secretary at the Saudi Mission to the United Nations until May of this year, also has charged that the Saudi government is supporting the Islamic fundamentalist movement Hamas, and that it funded Iraq’s nuclear weapons program while trying to acquire nuclear weapons for itself.

Al-Khilewi, who claims his life is in danger since making his allegations, has been seeking asylum since late June. He said he has evidence — a secretly taped conversation — in which he was directly threatened by a Saudi official because of his activities.

Although many people have expressed skepticism of al-Khilewi’s charges, sources on Capitol Hill have said that the allegations are being taken seriously.

One congressional aide said that although Saudi Arabia is a staunch ally, it is not a democratic, open country, and the charges need to be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. In response to al-Khilewi’s allegations that Saudi surveillance of American Jewish, Arab and Muslim groups has been a “permanent policy,” Abraham Foxman, ADL national director, has asked the State Department to “expeditiously investigate” the allegations.

In a letter sent earlier this summer to Secretary of State Warren Christopher, Foxman wrote, “Surveillance by a foreign government in the United States against American citizens would be a serious violation of the hospitality of the host country and, possibly, an illegal violation of First Amendment privacy rights of American citizens.”

‘HIS STORY SOUNDS CREDIBLE TO ME’

Al-Khilewi has not publicly named the ADL as a target of Saudi surveillance, but he claims to have information on at least four Jewish groups that were spied on by the Saudi government, according to his spokesman, Michael Wildes.

Wildes’ father, Douglas, a New York immigration attorney, is representing al-Khilewi in his quest for political asylum.

Al-Khilewi has refused to name other Jewish groups beyond the JDL and Jewish Defense Organization, two militant Jewish groups.

Irv Rubin, national chairman of the JDL, which was founded by the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, first heard about al-Khilewi’s allegations on ABC’s newsmagazine “20/20.”

“His story sounds credible to me,” Rubin said in a telephone interview from California, “I am very shocked by it because Saudi Arabia is supposed to be our friend.”

Upset by al-Khilewi’s charges that his organization has been spied on by the Saudi government, Rubin contacted U.S. Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.) and asked him to look into the charges.

After receiving Rubin’s request, Dreier contacted U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, to discuss al-Khilewi’s allegations, according to Brian Bieron, Dreier’s legislative assistant for foreign affairs. “These are serious allegations,” Bieron said. “Congress will not let them fall through the cracks.”

Al-Khilewi emerged from his isolation and protective custody to meet with members of Congress late last month.

Al-Khilewi and Wildes said the members of Congress with whom they met expressed interest in holding congressional hearings based on al-Khilewi’s allegations, including its funding of Hamas. They would not identify the members whom they met.

“The Saudi royal family is involved in many terrorist activities all around the world,” al-Khilewi said at a news conference on the steps of the Capitol building July 29.

The royal family, according to al-Khilewi, has sponsored terrorist activities in order to scuttle the peace negotiations between Israel and its Arab neighbors and to strengthen its undemocratic rule over the country.

The Saudi government is “trying to destroy the negotiations” by “encouraging activities against the peace,” according to al-Khilewi.

However, when pressed by reporters to provide evidence supporting his charges, al-Khilewi did not offer any documentation.

The Saudi Arabian Embassy here did not return numerous requests for comment.

Michael Wildes criticized the U.S. government for not investigating his client’s charges fiercely enough. He charged that the Clinton administration does not want to harm its relationship with the Saudi government.

However, FBI and State Department sources say they are looking into the matter and are considering al-Khilewi’s request for asylum.

Wildes also said he fears that al-Khilewi’s application for political asylum will not be judged fairly in the United States.

“This political asylum application places the United States government in a very awkward position because presumably the U.S. and Saudi Arabia are best friends and they would have to admit that their best friend is doing something wrong in their backyard,” Wildes said.

While Jewish groups have asked for investigations of al-Khilewi’s charges, Mustafa Malik, research director for the American Muslim Council, said his group has no specific information on al-Khilewi’s allegations and it will not ask that the matter be investigated.