Rep. Jonathan Bingham (D.NY) told the House of Representatives yesterday that support for Israel in Congress “may be eroded in the future if Israel gives the impression of being intransigent.” He said that “The Israelis themselves are aware of this danger and will have to take it into account as they reach their decisions” in the current negotiations in the Middle East led by Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger.
Bingham, a profound admirer of Kissinger, introduced a Constitutional amendment last year to enable a foreign-born American to become President of the United States. He said he belonged to a group in the House that “will be prepared to back whatever decisions the Israelis feel they must make to assure their survival,” but that “unfortunately” that group “does not comprise a majority of the Congress.”
Noting that some of his constituents had expressed concern “that support for Israel in the Congress may be eroding,” Bingham said “I cannot say for certain that this will not happen in the future but it has not happened yet.” Bingham, whose Congressional district is in New York City’s Bronx borough, identified himself as “a long-time Israelphile” in recording the strong support for Israel in Congress on previous issues and on opposition to the current Arab boycott.
Some analysts here have been saying that Kissinger and other American officials are telling Israelis that their request for credits and grants of about $2.5 billion in the new U.S. fiscal year beginning July 1 will be shredded in Congress if the Jerusalem government does not reach an agreement with Egypt.
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