Conference taveng::bagels

1040.0. "The New Boycott" by PACKER::PACKER::JULIUS () Fri Feb 01 1991 15:17

from the 'Jewish Reporter' February 1991
(extracted without permission)

Reprinted from Near East Report

One of the most disturbing aspects of the Gulf crisis is the new boycott
of Israel:  the refusal of major foreign aid donors to include Israel on 
the list of countries slated to receive help in coping with the effects of 
Iraq's aggression.

The U.S. is asking its allies to come up with an additional $4-5 billion in 
aid next year for Egypt, Turkey, and Jordan.  Syria is also receiving
compensation, even though Hafez Assad is a brutal dictator and a strong
supporter of terrorism.  Even Palestinians in the territories - many of them 
strong supporters of Saddam Hussein - will receive help.

Meanwhile, Israel is slated to get nothing.  That's wrong.  Israelis are
paying an extraordinarily high price because of the crisis.  Moreover, they 
are the only ones being directly threatened with annihilation.

Since Iraq invaded Kuwait in August, Israel has spent upwards of $500 million
to keep its forces on alert.  Rising oil prices are expected to cost Israel
an additional $1 billion.  Israelis face the possibility of wrenching 
austerity measures including higher taxes and deep cuts in social services.
Israel has been forced to cancel vital-defense projects - even though the 
Bush Administration is likely to push to sell $14 billion in additional arms
to Saudi Arabia, which remains in a state of war with Israel, and could 
become far more hostile after the crisis is settled.

Israel's entire budget is just $27 billion a year.  Yet conservative 
projections are that Israel will have to spend roughly $25-30 billion to 
resettle a million Soviet Jews - the equivalent of the United States taking
in the entire population of France - in the next five to ten years.

But all of these problems pale by comparison with the threat that Saddam
Hussein will drag Israel into a war.  Saddam has repeatedly threatened to
unleash his weapons of mass destruction on the Jewish State.  Israel has 
complied with American requests that it keep a "low profile" during the
current crisis - even though this approach may complicate Israel's efforts
to deter the Iraqi tyrant from attacking her.

It is absurd to think that excluding Israel is necessary to help keep the 
anti-Saddam coalition together.  If war breaks out, Israel will be one of
Saddam Hussein's primary targets.  American policy has to recognize that.  
A good beginning would be to end the aid boycott being directed at Israel.

re .0:

> If war breaks out, Israel will be one of
> Saddam Hussein's primary targets.

IF?? methinks your sources are out of date!

anyways, Shamir has already presented Bush with a list of goodies totaling 
about $14 billion (or was it million?) and Germany is sending some military aid
worth $670 million, including thousands of gas-masks, gas-antidotes, more
Patriot systems and two small submarines.  (see page A11 of today's New York 
Times).

				Louuuuuuuuuuuuuu

    Re. .1  
    
    It goes without saying the statement you pointed out is 
    archival.  I feel the important messages in this article 
    needs to be communicated.
                               
    B