With some Americans blaming U.S.-Israel ties for the recent embassy attacks, Jews must urge the Clinton administration to stand firm in supporting Israel. So says Abraham Sofaer, a former senior State Department official. That message is important, Sofaer said this week, given a perception of America's bias toward Israel in the Middle East conflict. The Clinton administration must be prepared to answer those charges firmly and unequivocally, he added.
Nothing is one-sided about American support for Israel.
It's got nothing to do with sides. It's a complete commitment to Israel's security. Meanwhile, U.S. officials believe Israelis and Palestinians have made significant progress in the last several days toward an Israeli withdrawal from 13 percent of the West Bank. Referring to his appearance last week on a KQED radio show on the bombings, Sofaer said he was surprised by the number of callers who believe Americans are terrorist targets because of this country's relationship with Israel. I heard more than I could bear.