Rep. Morris D. Udall (D.Ariz.), who is campaigning here for the May 19 Democratic Presidential primary, said here last week that he has always supported Israel, advocates direct negotiations between Israel and the Arab states and strongly supports the traditional American principle or separation of church and state. His remarks were made in an interview with the Jewish News of Detroit.
Udall declared that “I have always taken the stand that religion has no place in politics.” The Arizona Democrat said he opposed the view of his Democratic rival, former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter and President Ford that prayer should be restored in public schools. “The Supreme Court was dead right in eliminating Bible reading in the schools, and I have never ducked that issue,” Udall said.
The Congressman said he had mixed feelings about Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger, and felt that it was time “Kissinger should go.” He said that he “supported the step-by-step approach, but we’ve gone as far as we can.” He added that he does not see separate settlements with Egypt and Syria. “I don’t see an early, easy answer. (Israeli Premier Yitzhak) Rabin doesn’t have one, Kissinger doesn’t have one and I don’t have one.”
But Udall emphasized that direct negotiations are the key to a true peace settlement, and said Kissinger should have extracted that concession from Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat. He said he attacked Ford over the sale of C-130 transport planes to Egypt. “Egypt needs tractors, not tanks; hospital equipment, not military equipment. I’m opposed to a military supply relationship” between the U.S. and Egypt. Udall said that Kissinger is probably responsible for moving Ford away from the stronger pro-Israel stance Ford took as a Michigan Congressman.
WEAKNESS OF JACKSON AMENDMENT
On the question of foreign aid in general, and transitional quarter funding for Israel, Udall said, “When you put it in terms of ‘Should Israel be supported?’ you get clear cut majorities” in favor. He said Ford’s position on the transitional aid is that Israel has already been given enough. “My position is that Israel has done certain things because of our commitments, and we should live up to them.”
Udall, a strong supporter of the Jackson Amendment to allow emigration of Soviet Jews, said the reason it did not work and was rejected by the Soviet Union was because of its excessive demands. He said the implementation procedures in the Jackson Amendment were humiliating to the Russians. “Once the dust has settled, we can go back to the Russians and resolve some of those problems,” he said. “We want to help those who want to leave, as well as those who want to stay.”
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