The organized Jewish community is sharply split over President Clinton’s nomination of Strobe Talbott to the key position of deputy secretary of state.
As Talbott’s Senate confirmation hearings began Tuesday, battle lines were already drawn within the Jewish community over the touchy question of whether or not Talbott is anti-Israel.
Groups opposing the nominee charge that his writings as a Time magazine correspondent in the 1980s and early 1990s display a bias against Israel and that he therefore should not be confirmed to the No. 2 post at the State Department.
Talbott’s supporters maintain he does understand the close relationship between the United States and Israel, and that he would not work to undermine it.
At his confirmation hearings, Talbott said he had changed his views since he wrote one particular 1981 Time article widely viewed as critical of Israel.
In response to a question from Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), he said, “I certainly don’t feel the way, today, that I felt 13 years ago on this or many other subjects that we might discuss.”
Talbott went on to say that “Israel is a very special country in the world, by virtue of its people, by virtue of the circumstances that brought about its birth.”
He added, “We have a special obligation for reasons not only rooted in our moral obligation to Israel, but also rooted in our geopolitical interests, to support the security of Israel, and I think that the administration of which I am a part has made fairly dramatic strides in that direction.”
The 1981 article in question said, among other things, that American Jews “wield influence” beyond their numbers.
It also said: “If Israel continues to take international law into its own hands as violently — and as embarrassingly to the U.S. — as it did in Baghdad and Beirut, then the next display of U.S. displeasure” might “include selective cutbacks in American military aid.”
The piece appeared in Time shortly after Israel bombed an Iraqi nuclear reactor.
‘TALBOTT WILL BE THERE’
Sen. Howard Metzenbaum (D-Ohio), who along with Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio) introduced Talbott to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, offered warm praise for the nomince, saying he could think of “no better pick for this job.”
Metzenbaum said that Talbott had “written some things that, maybe, in retrospect, he might have changed.”
“But I’m satisfied that on an overview that Strobe Talbott will be there, will be concerned, will be considerate about the State of Israel and its security in the Middle East. And if it were not for that, I would not be here supporting his candidacy,” the senator added.
In his opening statement Talbott, an old friend of the president’s, addressed some of the concerns about his views of Israel.
“First, I have always believed that the U.S.-Israeli relationship is unshakable. Second, I have always believed that a strong Israel is in America’s interest, because it serves the cause of peace and stability in the region,” he said.
“Third, I am proud to be part of an administration that has already done so much to promote a comprehensive peace in the area, and I look forward to assisting Secretary (of State Warren) Christopher in any way I can to keep that process moving forward.”
Beyond the question of Talbott’s views of Israel, some Jewish groups have praised Talbott’s work in his current position as the State Department’s ambassador-at-large with special responsibility for the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union.
Talbott’s field of expertise is the former Soviet Union, a point touched on by Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) during the confirmation hearings.
“I don’t think you understand the Soviet Union,” Biden told Talbott.
On Monday, Yossi Beilin, the outspoken Israeli deputy foreing minister, weighed into the debate, voicing support for Talbott.
“If there are people who are criticizing this nomination, they are not speaking on behalf of my government,” Beilin said.
GROUPS PLEASED BY TESTIMONY
The entire debate is being played out amid hints that Talbott, if confirmed for the deputy slot, could be in line for the top job at the State Department if Clinton grows dissatisfied with the performance of Christopher.
Talbott’s long paper trail puts him in the position of being the Robert Bork of the State Department — a nominee with a string of writings from which both supporters and opponents can quote at length.
As the controversy over Talbott erupted last week, two top officials from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations met with the nominee. They reported that he had indicated he was committed to maintaining the administration’s strong support for Israel.
One of those officials, Malcolm Hoenlein, the group’s executive vice chairman, said as the hearings were going on Tuesday that he thought Talbott had “sought to distance himself from his earlier writings” during the early questioning.
Hoenlein said his group welcomed Talbott’s comments on the importance of a strong Israel and on the moral and strategic underpinnings of the U.S.-Israeli relationship.
Other Jewish officials were also cautiously pleased by Talbott’s remarks during the first round of questioning.
Jess Hordes, Washington representative for the Anti-Defamation League, said that although he was still “puzzled” by at least one of Talbott’s remarks at the hearing, overall he was “looking forward to working” with Talbott.
Mark Pelavin, Washington representative for the American Jewish Congress, said his group felt that Talbott would “continue to uphold the Clinton administration’s policy of strong support for Israel.”
Jason Isaacson, Washington representative for the American Jewish Committee, said it was important to keep several facts in mind, including the Clinton administration’s strong support for Israel, Talbott’s performance in his current job and the nominee’s statement that he has “undergone an evolution in his thinking on Israel.”
SOME REPUBICANS CRITICAL
Last week, the National Jewish Coalition, a Republican group, and the Zionist Organization of America each release selections from Talbott’s writings for Time in the 1980s and early 1990s. The groups criticized Talbott for, among a variety of other things, comparing Israel to Iraq in a 1990 article.
Other groups opposing Talbott include the Jewish War Veterans of America and the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.
On the other side, the National Jewish Democratic Council and Americans for Peace Now have voiced support for the nominee, as has Steve Grossman, president of the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
And Mark Levin, executive director of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry, said last week that his organization has worked well with Talbott in his current position.
The controversy over Talbott has spread beyond the American Jewish community, as members of Congress have been weighing in with their views of the nominee.
Some Republicans have voiced criticisms of Talbott. Last week, Rep. Jim Saxton (R-N.J.) urged Clinton to withdraw the nomination because of Talbott’s views on Israel. And Sens. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) and Alfonse D’Amato (R-N.Y.) added their voices to the call Monday in a letter to Clinton.
One key senator, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee of foreign operations, told members of the Jewish press Tuesday morning that he had not yet decided on how to vote on Talbott’s nomination.
But McConnell said he thought some of Talbott’s views on Israel were “goofy” and bring “into question his overall judgment.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
