Nixon Says Begin, Parts of the U.S. Jewish Community Will ‘have to Take the Consequences’ if Congres

Former President Nixon said today that Israeli Premier Menachem Begin and “parts of the American Jewish community” would have to take the consequences if Congress blocks the AWACS sale to Saudi Arabia because of their opposition to it.

Nixon’s statement was described as his first major foreign policy declaration since the Reagan Administration took office. “We know, the Saudis know and everyone in the Middle East knows, that if it were not for the intense opposition by Begin and parts of the American Jewish community, the AWACS sale would go through,” Nixon said. “This is a cold fact that opponents of the sale, whatever their own particular reasons, must take into account. This fact will greatly affect the consequences if the sale fails to go through.” He did not suggest what the consequences might be.

But Nixon did stress that “Defeat on AWACS would be a serious embarrassment to Reagan, both at home and abroad. Israel’s friends should not be under any illusion that they help Israel’s cause by embarrassing and undermining the authority of their indepspensable friend in the White House.” He said rejection of the sale by Congress would be “a Pyrrhic victory,” for its opponents.

‘THE REAL BOTTOM LINE’

According to Nixon, “From Israel’s own standpoint, the real bottom line is not the military value of the AWACS planes, but who will have influence and how much, with Israel’s Arab neighbors: the United States or some other power which is not Israel’s friend.”

The former President contended that “In the Saudis, we are dealing not with adversaries but with friends, and also with a government whose cooperation will be absolutely essential to any lasting peace in the Middle East. Just as it is not good politics for Begin to embarrass Reagan, it is not good politics for the United States to embarrass Saudi Arabia.”

He said that “Because Reagan has laid his own prestige on the line, and will have paid a high political price for approval (of the AWACS sale), if he wins the Saudis will owe him one. This is good for the United States and good for Israel. If he loses, on the other hand, everyone loses: Reagan is embarrassed and undermined, the Saudis are humiliated and Begin will be in the unenviable position of having offended simultaneously both his most important supporter and his richest neighbor,” Nixon said.

He suggested that “those who worry about the deal” from a military security point of view “ought to trust the President, the Secretary of State and the Defense Secretary to insure that these (AWACS) are being adequately safeguarded without insisting on humiliating the Saudis with a formal declaration that would impinge

on their sovereignty.” Nixon characterized Reagan as “probably the strongest supporter of Israel to occupy the White House since Harry Truman.” He said he supported the AWACS sale “as a friend of Israel because I believe strongly that at this point approval is in the interests not only of the United States but also of Israel itself.”

ADL LEADER CRITICIZES NIXON

Responding to Nixon’s statement, Nathan Perlmutter, national director of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, said that “singling American Jews out from the broad spectrum of opposition to the AWACS sale is at best mischievous, at worst mean-spirited. Cyrus Vance is not Jewish. Stansfield Turner is not Jewish. Sen. Mark Hart-field (R. Ore.) hardly qualifies as a patron of Israel. In short, opposition to the AWACS sale is shared by American leaders of every religious faith and from both political parties ….

“Jews do not appreciate to hear themselves chastized, especially by regarded friends. But like any Americans worth their salt, Jews will continue to express themselves as Americans– else what is freedom of speech all about?”