Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy’s first visit to Washington has been a personal success regardless of any concrete achievements.
Levy, a 53-year-old diplomatic novice, demonstrated that he can establish a relationship with the Bush administration even though he is the first Israeli foreign minister who does not speak English.
“I am leaving happy,” Levy said Thursday after a surprise meeting with President Bush, followed by a separate White House meeting with National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft.
The White House meetings were scheduled after Levy met for three hours Wednesday with Secretary of State James Baker, establishing what both said was a friendly personal relationship.
In terms of concrete achievements, Levy said both Bush and Baker assured him the United States is still committed to maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge in the Middle East.
This would mean providing Israel with new sophisticated weapons, included the Patriot ground-to-air missile, which could be used to defend Israel against missile attacks from Iraq or Syria.
Levy did not get into specifics after his White House meeting. When he was asked about U.S. promises of aid, he replied, “We didn’t come here to talk about money.”
EXPECTATION ON DEBT FORGIVENESS
At the same time, Levy said that if the United States forgives the $7 billion Egypt owes Washington for military aid, Israel’s $4.5 billion military debt should also be canceled.
“I hope and I am convinced that there will not be a different attitude to us,” he said. He explained that since the Israeli-Egyptian peace process began, U.S. aid to Egypt has been linked to Israel’s aid package.
Bush recommended to Congress on Tuesday that the Egyptian debt be forgiven. But a State Department official said the administration does not see any “automatic quid pro quo” for Israel.
The Levy-Baker meeting also did not result in the administration freeing up U.S. guarantees for $400 million in loans to build housing for Soviet Jewish immigrants in Israel.
Congress has approved the guarantees, but the administration has withheld them until it receives assurances from Israel that the money will not be used to house any Soviet Jews in the West Bank or Gaza Strip.
Baker said Wednesday that progress was made on this issue, but that Washington has not received the assurances it wants.
Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, Housing Minister Ariel Sharon and other Israeli officials have repeatedly said that the government does not direct Soviet Jews to the territories, but will not prevent any Jew from living where he wants.
Israeli sources said that the administration wants written assurances that not only will the $400 million not be used in the West Bank or Gaza Strip, but neither will other U.S. funds.
CREDIBLE PEACE PROCESS
These issues aside, the discussions at the White House and State Department centered on the Arab-Israeli peace process and the crisis in the Persian Gulf.
“We agreed that it is very, very, very important in the context of the overall situation in the Middle East that there be a credible peace process under way,” Baker said Wednesday.
But both Baker and Levy rejected a Soviet proposal that an international conference be held to discuss not only Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait but also the Palestinian issue.
Levy said Thursday that such a linkage would be “capitulating to Saddam Hussein” and would be awarding him a “prize for aggression.”
While Baker said he is still seeking to bring about an Israeli-Palestinian dialogue, Levy said Thursday that the Palestinian issue is an Arab problem just as much as an Israeli responsibility.
He said that efforts to bring about Israeli negotiations with Arab states must be parallel to the efforts to seek a dialogue with the Palestinians.
Levy’s point was that Israel is still pressing the entire peace initiative proposed by Shamir in the spring of 1989, which also calls for an end to the refusal by Arab states to recognize Israel.
But Baker continued Wednesday to stress only one point of Shamir’s four-point initiative: proposed Palestinian elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Baker said the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue is aimed at helping bring about those elections, which ultimately would lead to negotiations on the status of the territories.
A LOYAL ALLY
Levy offered no clue about how to resolve Israel’s objections to Baker’s proposal that the Palestinian delegation should include residents of East Jerusalem and Palestinians whom Israel has deported from the territories.
According to Israeli sources, Levy, a newcomer to diplomacy, is relying heavily on Foreign Ministry professionals to help solve this problem.
On the Persian Gulf crisis, Levy stressed Wednesday and Thursday that Israel is a loyal ally of the United States and supports the Bush administration’s efforts against Iraqi aggression.
“The United States does not stand alone, and she is carrying with it the hope of the free world,” he said after his meeting with Bush.
Baker thanked Israel on Wednesday for keeping a low profile in the Gulf crisis.
“Israel is indeed keeping a low profile, not because Israel is not an important factor on the scene and not because there is no danger lurking or threatening Israel,” Levy replied.
There is no way of telling whether the Levy reception would have been so friendly if Iraq had not invaded Kuwait, putting the Arab-Israeli peace process on the back burner.
After the new Likud government named Levy foreign minister in June, there was some question in Israel and abroad whether he could handle the job. While experienced in the rough-and-tumble of Israel’s domestic politics, he had no experience in foreign affairs.
Washington also was concerned about his hard-line reputation as one of three Likud hawks in the previous government to oppose many elements of Shamir’s peace policy. But since he assumed the foreign affairs post, there have been numerous efforts to paint Levy as a non-ideologue who takes a pragmatic approach to issues.
LANGUAGE NO BARRIER
Although he speaks no English, Levy is fluent in French and Arabic. In any case, language was no barrier during his talks at the State Department.
After the meeting, Levy said Baker and he had established a “Jim and David” relationship. The secretary, for his part, stressed the importance of personal relationships in international affairs, which has become a trademark of the Bush administration in particular.
Baker demonstrated his satisfaction with the meeting as it ended by telephoning Bush to suggest the White House meeting.
Bush squeezed in the 15-minute session just before he left the White House for a political campaign trip to Kansas and Florida.
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