European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 10, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 columns Flora Lewis the stars and stripes sunday january 10,1988 israelis have let fhe israeli dream turn sour survival has always been the first Issue for Israel but it has changed dimension Over several periods. In the aftermath of the holocaust the goal was creation of the Wiz Mann the first president hoped to make Israel a member of the British Commonwealth to give it assured links to the democratic West across the surrounding sea of arabs. David Ben Gurion the Firtl prime minister and Mil itary Leader opted for Complete Independence and the British labor government of the time left no other Choice. From then until the War of 1967, the task was to fortify demographically economically militarily and politically _ a stale under continuous siege. Israel s Vic tory in that War provoked by Egypt s Nasser drastically chanced the survival question. Israel was no longer an under dog. As a mull of president Sadat s visit to Jerusalem in 1977, the shift making survival More an internal question thin response to an external threat became decisive. Some recognized it but far from a generations jews around the world had dropped their coins in Little Blue and White tin boxes distributed by the jewish National fund to help build a Homeland. Now people who gave not Only their Money but their skills heir lives their children for the drum arc in the course of destroying it. Utopians Urc probably doomed to disappointment. But they Are not doomed to disaster and destruction unless they refuse to recognize thai dreams that Core True can also sour into night Marc if they Are left to Drift Loo far from the a former Deputy mayor of Jerusalem who has specialized in West Bank research is right in noting that palestinians failed 10 learn More Thani re Venge and haired from their losses. And he is right that jews have failed to remember their purpose to build a democratic healthy Homeland where jews could be Normal people living in Freedom and under self government put Normal in quotes because that . Rosenthal was the expression of israeli1 euphoria in the Early Days of the tale. Even before it was secured the first chief of police exulted thai at last there were jewish policemen arresting jewish thieves and prostitutes As in Normal those Day Western diplomats tended to chide this tendency to a euro Pean measure of normality. They argued that it made Israel stick out like a sore thumb in use Arab Middle East to modern Loo Western. They Laid Oneida Liza lion would ease the friction bringing reconciliation. They were completely wrong. To he extent Israel a adapted to its environment it has been to com Promise ideals to least to hate and to oppress. The israelis did t achieve this degree of transformation All alone. The arabs provoked the contagion of some or their own failings. But for All their vigor principle and moral attachments Loo Many israelis Haven t resisted and thai a the practical heart of the new survival question it is trivialized by focusing on whether Israel should be condemned for depot ing a few pal Linian activists. That May be politically and morally painful for palestinians but it it not the worst Fale in this lopsided Low level War. There is something absurd and hypocritical on both sides when this move becomes the Point of dispute Between Washington and Jerusalem. The Quality of american israeli relations has changed markedly in the last seven years to an extent scarcely noticed because it has been incremental. Fro the moment president Truman recognized the stale at ill inception the United states accepted a role Ai Patron and protector. But thai never meant identity of views and former Secretary of stale Alex Ander Haig propounded the notion of strategic consensus however there has been an at Limpl to Force an artificial Unity of Outlook buttressed by myriad Concrete economic military and Intelli dec Isaac enal rally looks at the world in terms of the Arab israeli conflict the United slates influence on casting eve cry Tingin terms of the soviet american conflict Haj hypnotized it into Overlook ing differences of interest. This is not Good for the United suites enabling Israel to coax in into such Aber rations As the Iran Contra ploy. It is worse for Brad bringing a dependency that engages . Responsibility not Only where Jerusalem wishes but also on is sues where it asserts the right of Sov Ereign decision. Israel counts Loo much on . Indulgence to Lei in define All the issues it chooses. The United states cannot guarantee Israel on its new survival question what kind of stale thai is Central now. Nothing else can save the dream c he Imti new Congress keeping tragedy of Tibet Issue alive. a. Have seen to Delhi travelling about India or suddenly during conversations Here in the capital i find my mind wandering off to a it Eccl in a Distant town in the Himalayas. The town is Chi Rusala where 7.000 tibetan Refu gees live. Including the 14th Dalai Lama. On the Wall in that sired is posted an account in tibetan of n piece of legislation passed by the . Congress As 1987 ended. Most americans probably almost All americans Are entirely unaware of inc Bill but it has excited Duhaim Sala. And made in think that Tibet might not be Fagot ten by the world after All. The Bill recounts the tragedy of Tibet since the chinese occupation in 1950 one million tibetans dead killed or starved. The Doii Duclion of the 6,000 monastic pics the hooding of the country by chinese to a Point where tibetans arc a minority in their own land the whole sad Story. Then Congress expresses sympathy for tibetans who have suffered and did says that the chinese should behave Ducci. By toward the tibetan give them a Chance at Liberty. And is says thai in arms deals with the chinese the United states should Lake into account whether the chinese Are indeed trying to resolve Tibet s human rights disasters. Tiie main political result of the move by Congress is thai in will allow Public hearings on Tibet 10 be for the test about judging and pressing China the Reagan administration already has made it Clear that it does Noi intend to try to pressure the chinese on Tioel and has brutally and quite indignantly turned its Back on the tibetans. That is pan of the Price the United slates quite wittingly is paying for the privilege of dealing with China. People in dharm Sala arc understandably hazy about the intricacies of american government. They cannot quite get in straight How the Congress can be so warm to Tibet and the state department and the White House make it Clear Hal they intend to disregard con Gress and continue the sellout of Tibet. Tibetans puzzlement becomes More understandable when they remember that the United states once Posi Lively oozed sympathy toward Tibet. In the late 60s the sympathy was so keen that the United Stales eve flew several Hundred tibetan guerrillas to Camp Hale in Colorado to train them to be dropped into Tibet and cause As much trouble As possible to inc chinese which Washington then thought was a Dandy thing 10 do. Then president Nixon and Secretary of stale Kissin Ger opened China s door. Suddenly nobody was inter ested in malting trouble for China. Tibet who Moscow also showed sympathy to Tibel in the old Days but the Dalai Lama did not bite. Perhaps be should have Hal might have interested Washington in Tibet again. Now of course the russians Are no More interested in annoying the chinese iban Are the Ameri Vanchina has a billion people and a lol of clout Tibet Hai Only 6 million at the most. It s True that that is More than there Are israeli or palestinians but Tibet ans do not get much print or air Lime. The chinese hav l Hal would american government in Crest in Tibel have any Impact on ils future tibetans Ihrk so and chinese agree judging by Beijing s fury at the slightest congressional expression of interest in Tibet. And in might be that if the american executive Branch did what the american legislative Branch wants scream and shout the chinese indeed might give tibetan a Little human Liberty. There Are chinese Walro Ore uneasy about How vividly new China shows up u old China in Tibet. But if the rest of the world does not care Why should they Slick their necks out and become a head Shorter so i keep thinking Aboul Tinl Striclin a Barsala. In struck me that in would be an inspiration to those americans who have forgot Len that there still Are places where people Belle inc United slates will Al ways do what it can for Freedom. In might even help those stale department and White House specialist who jul adore dealing with big powerful nations communist or otherwise. A visit to be Wall might remind them Hal the unil de states has inner Coli not just in Moscow and Beijing bul in faraway places where people Mill put Hope in America such As dharm Sala. In it Nim m Ort Whan or will to Lurth "
