NEWS ANALYSIS Livingston’s record on Israel forecasts change in Congress

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (JTA) – Israel”s foreign aid is a “leadership issue” Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) thundered at a private meeting last year with Rep. Bob Livingston (R-La.). When Gingrich finished dressing down the House Appropriations Committee chairman, Livingston ordered one of his lieutenants to release a hold on $75.6 million in aid to Israel that had been placed after the Jewish state appeared to balk on a promise to give some of its aid to Jordan. Livingston”s threat at the time to “revisit the issue of aid to Israel” if an American Jewish teen-age murder suspect, Samuel Sheinbein, who had fled to Israel was not promptly extradited to the United States exacerbated tensions at the meeting. By all accounts, Livingston got the message, and were it not for a hold placed by a Democrat on the same money Israel would have promptly received the aid. Now that Gingrich is stepping down as the leader of the House and endorsing his long-time friend, episodes like this, although rare in Livingston”s 22-year tenure in the House, could shed light on what type of speaker he will be if the Republican caucus supports him, as expected, in a secret ballot next week. Livingston is set to assume the post at a time of great turmoil for his party. Coming off of a poor showing in last week”s election, Livingston will run the House with a slim 223-211 majority – there is one independent member. Despite his staunch conservative credentials, Livingston is a far cry from the Republican firebrands who took over the House in 1994. Social conservatives in the party are already rattling the sabers and arguing that the party needs to focus more on anti-abortion legislation and returning prayer to America”s public school classrooms. “If the 106th Congress does not immediately take up pro-family, conservative issues and talk about them, not just for one day but day in and day out,” said Randy Tate, executive director of the Christian Coalition, “things will get worse before they get better for them.” While Livingston enjoys a 100 percent rating from the Christian Coalition, social issues have not been his passion. “It”s going to be hard to go more conservative,” said Matt Brooks, executive director of the National Jewish Coalition, a Republican group. “People may introduce things” like a school prayer constitutional amendment, “but the likelihood of passage this time is even more remote.” Griping in the Jewish community about Livingston”s belief in a tight fiscal policy stopped overnight, as activists adjusted to the reality that they will have to work with him. “Any leader who can move the agenda forward and enable the Congress to move forward on a bipartisan basis is good for our community because we have business before the Congress,” said Diana Aviv, director of the Council of Jewish Federations” Washington Action Office. But a major shift in budgeting, which could result in deeper cuts in social service spending, could pit Livingston against the Jewish community early next year. Livingston said that he would offer as his first initiative a change in congressional budget rules that counts individual contributions to social security as government revenue. The change would result in a $28 billion deficit, he said. But for now, Livingston is drawing high marks from many in the Jewish community for his staunch opposition to the conservative caucus” tactic of attaching controversial policies to spending bills. An anti-abortion rider on the foreign aid bill has tied it in knots the past two years. Livingston has also received praise from the Jewish community for his opposition to former Ku Klux Klansman David Duke, who said he would run for Livingston”s seat if he retired this year. After announcing his retirement plans, that he later reversed, Livingston promised to give his entire $650,000 campaign chest to Duke”s primary opponent. He also pledged to support the Democratic candidate if Duke
won the GOP nomination. But unlike Gingrich, Livingston has not worked to build relations with the Jewish community in his district, according to local activists. Meetings with Livingston, after he became appropriations committee chairman, “appear to have no impact on his thinking and it was very unclear whether he could understand the nature of our arguments as a minority community looking to have our interests protected,” said Leslie Gerwin, chair of the community relations committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans. This year marked the first time that groups such as B”nai B”rith and the Anti-Defamation League teamed up with Livingston on a policy issue. The Jewish community lobbied Congress to support legislation that would encourage Western investment in Azerbaijan. Livingston singled out the Jewish groups on the House floor, thanking them for their support. But it is Livingston”s record on Israel-related issues that has attracted the most attention, activists say, in part because of the unusually close relationship between Gingrich and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While many in the Jewish community vehemently disagreed with Gingrich on domestic issues, they hailed his pro-Israel advocacy. “Newt truly is a significant figure on U.S.-Israel relations and he will be missed,” said Howard Kohr, executive director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Gingrich and Netanyahu frequently coordinated strategy to blunt Clinton administration pressure on the peace process. But that era is coming to an end. “To the extent that the last Congress was used as a lever against White House pressure against Israel,” said Marshall Breger, a former Reagan White House official. Livingston”s House “is less likely to be a sword in the Israeli government”s armor. But it”s still a shield.” While Netanyahu is unlikely to enjoy as warm a relationship with Livingston as he did with Gingrich, there does appear to be room to work together. Netanyahu and Livingston huddled for about 10 minutes in a discussion about missile defense at an Israeli Embassy dinner shortly after the premier”s election. As Appropriations Committee chairman, Livingston oversaw the allocation of hundreds of millions of dollars to the joint U.S.-Israel Arrow anti-missile system. But some current and former Israeli officials in Washington, who refused to comment on the record for fear of alienating the next speaker, remain concerned about Livingston”s rhetoric. Livingston”s threat to revisit aid to Israel in the wake of the Sheinbein case was an “off the cuff comment and if it”s the worst thing that anyone can say about Bob Livingston, so be it,” said Brooks of the NJC. AIPAC also backed Livingston on the issue. “He now understands the nuances of Israel”s policy in this matter,” Kohr said. Livingston”s critics point to a Jerusalem news conference last May during a visit to celebrate Israel”s 50th anniversary – his second visit to the Jewish state – where he criticized Israel”s reliance on U.S. economic aid. “Israelis need to understand that they”re not the 51st state, and they certainly don”t want to be treated like America”s stepchild. Continued economic assistance when they are doing quite well is demeaning,” he said. Livingston said Israel”s per capita income is greater than that in his suburban New Orleans congressional district. Livingston”s record has Jewish Democrats crying foul. “He has used his powerful House position as leverage to bully Israel. This is no way to treat a friend and ally,” said Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council. But Brooks just as strenuously disagrees. “I will stake my professional reputation as a Jewish activist on this, that Bob Livingston is a strong friend and has been there when it counts.”” Jewish activists will not have to wait long to see how Livingston reacts on an Israel issue. President Clinton promised as part of last month”s peace agreement to seek more aid for Israel and the Palestinians in a separate foreign aid package.