Israel and Vietnam

...And while the moral aspect of our obligation to support a tiny democracy against its massive antidemocratic opposition may be compelling to some, the issue must be viewed as well in the light of preserving the balance of power in the Middle East...

...Not that apprehensions about growing neoisolationism are entirely unfounded...

...like Fulbright, has shown more signs of being a critic of Israel than a neoisolation-ist...

...It is hardly neoisolationist, however, to hold that our Southeast Asia policy has failed from a political point of view, and that this has led us into a protracted and brutal war in which the expenditure of lives and resources is out of all proportion to our interests and objectives...

...Yet it was not a sudden lapse in determination that made Nixon reluctant to send jets to Israel...

...Although Eugene McCarthy (D.-Minn...

...also withheld their signatures, earlier in the year they put their names to the Congressional Declaration of Peace, which calls for direct negotiations between the Arabs and the Israelis and warns that the latter's deterrent strength must not be impaired...

...His proposal would have given President Nixon complete authority to keep U. S. farces in Cambodia if he deemed such action necessary to protect our troops in Vietnam...

...It will be correctly argued that balance of power considerations do not represent the only important influence in this situation...

...The danger that shifting to a strong pro-Israel policy might propel the Arabs entirely into the Soviet camp is real...

...who is the doves' leading spokesman, is also a long-time opponent of aid to Israel...

...Last December he opposed the Federal appropriation of $40 million for an Israeli desalination program, arguing that it was "an instrument for the perpetuation of the political status quo in the Middle East and Israel...

...But there is good reason to believe that the specter of neoisolationism, so often raised by backers of our Vietnam policy to score debating points against those who disagree with them yet support Israel, is being exaggerated...

...And this March, he was the only man in Congress to praise the decision to delay the sale of jets to Israel...

...Perspectives ISRAEL AND VIETNAM BY CARL GERSHMAN Not since the Six Day War in June 1967 has the debate over the connection between United States policies in the Middle East and Indochina been so intense...

...Thus in less than two weeks, the Senate took a "hawkish" action on the Middle East and a "dovish" one on Indochina...

...But it is equally apparent that the Arabs fear coming under the domination of still another outside power, especially one that has demonstrated in Czechoslovakia and elsewhere that it will repress any rebellious satellites...

...As a consequence of our government's overreaction in Vietnam, many opponents of the war have developed a tendency to overreact to the In-dochinese situation...

...Probably no other area where American troops are not engaged in combat is the source of so much domestic pressure...

...First was the announcement that 76 senators had signed a letter to Secretary of State William P. Rogers urging him to provide Israel with jets in order to bolster its defense...

...Those who argue that a strong U. S. stance in the one area is dependent on a steadfast resolve in the other are making the same error as the neoisolationists...

...The Russian action is a major threat to Israel's security, and the Cambodian adventure seems to have damaged chances to work out a political settlement in Vietnam...

...Nor is it neoisolationist to argue that our preoccupation with Vietnam has caused us to neglect our proper concerns in other areas of the world, as well as severely aggravated domestic tensions...

...involvements abroad, especially where the use of American combat troops might be required...

...On the other hand, all 14 senators who voted for the Byrd amendment but did not sign the letter can definitely be classified as hawks on Vietnam and doves on the Middle East...

...Senator William Fulbright (D.-Ark...

...Two actions taken in the Senate earlier this month helped place the issue in perspective...

...The Middle East is unique, since Washington has had to respond, often reluctantly, to a small but highly effective domestic political force—namely, the American Jewish community...

...Among the other eight senators who did not approve either the letter to Rogers or the Byrd amendment, Margaret Chase Smith (R.-Me...

...and Mike Mansfield (D.-Mont...

...and Clinton Anderson (D.-N.M...

...Moreover, there is little evidence to suggest that the nine opponents of the war who did not sign the letter were motivated by a "neoiso-lationist" reaction to Vietnam...

...Given these circumstances, and the congressional actions earlier this month, it would appear that any fundamental change in U. S. policy toward Israel is more a matter of domestic politics than neoisolationism...

...and Albert Gore (D.Tenn...

...Robert Byrd's (D.-W.Va...

...Nixon's approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict should be analyzed strictly on its own terms...

...The agonizing Vietnam experience has clearly encouraged an attitude among some people of opposition to any further U.S...

...The scales have already begun to tip because our weak stand has encouraged increased Soviet involvement...

...do not sign "round robin" documents like the Rogers letter on principle...

...Finally, John Sherman Cooper (R.-Ky...

...Such considerations, not the simplistic parallels that are drawn between Vietnam and the Middle East, determine policy in Washington...

...Of late, he has taken to inserting into the Congressional Record articles and statements by opponents of the Jewish state...

...Both base all their foreign policy judgments on Vietnam, hardly the most reliable of touchstones, and consequently neither can present an effective way to influence the U. S. position on the Middle East...

...An unequivocal U. S. committment in the Middle East might in time lead the Arabs to conclude that having Israel as a neighbor is preferable to being ruled by the Russians...

...Of greater significance, though, is the fact that of the 52 senators who rejected the Byrd proposal, only nine failed to endorse the letter to Rogers, compared with 14 of the 47 who supported the amendment...

...This consideration should give pause to those who find their way to the Middle East through Vietnam...

...of these three, only Mansfield shows some neoisolationist tendencies—still, he can hardly be called a proponent of a Fortress America...

...The following week, on June 11, the Senate voted 52-47 against Carl Gershman, a new contributor, is the Research Director of the A. Philip Randolph Institute...

...As a result, many liberals find themselves in much the same position they were three years ago?being "doves" on Vietnam and "hawks" on the Middle East...

...From his point of view, a firm commitment in support of Israel would be a liability, since it would drive the Arabs further into the arms of the Russians...

...The real test of will is not in Indochina, but here at home...

...In the Senate, therefore, there was a greater inclination among Vietnam doves than hawks to take a strong stand on the Middle East...

...George Aiken (R.-Vt...

...Indeed, this "dovish" position can be entirely consistent with the desire for the United States to play a different kind of role in Southeast Asia than at present, and become more active elsewhere, particularly in the Middle East...

...The President would also seem to fit into this category...

...have not been identified with Vietnam doves, while Mark Hatfield (R.-Ore...

...amendment to the foreign military sales bill...

...The reason for this is clear enough: The increasing Soviet penetration into Egypt and the U. S. intervention in Cambodia have seriously escalated the conflicts in both areas...

...How this can be so is the question too often overlooked by those who invariably invoke neoisolationism whenever the subject of the Middle East is discussed...

...Nixon, however, is not as receptive as past Presidents have been to the demands of American Jews?most of whom are Democrats, or if Republicans, part of the Eastern wing of the party the President seems to consider expendable...

...Once again, they must defend themselves not only against the charge of inconsistency, but also of undermining a firm U. S. policy in the Middle East by virtue of their "neoiso-lationist" stance on Vietnam...