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· 2 · crossing the allenby bridge Israel, the Arabs, and the Peace Process • When people asked me to describe my congressional district, I often responded that it was the most Jewish in the nation, with more Jews than Jerusalem. But I also pointed out how diverse its population was. I represented Hasidic Jews, Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews, Reform Jews, secular Jews, Russian Jews, Syrian Jews, and Polish Jews. Obviously, such a constituency created some compelling political realities . One was the importance of being a strong supporter of Israel and the unique relationship between that country and the United States. Since I shared the commitment most of my constituents had to Israel’s security and survival, this was a morally and politically easy position to take. Fortunately, my personal interest as an American and a Jew blended with my political interest in demonstrating that I could make a difference on this issue. Over the course of my eighteen years on the Foreign Affairs Committee , I championed a long list of legislation for Israel. In 1977 and 1978, I supported amendments earmarking $1 billion in military credits and $785 million in security assistance for the Jewish state.In the late 1970s,I played a key role in securing the passage of legislation prohibiting American participation in the Arab boycott against Israel. In 1980, I was instrumental in adding $200 million to the administration’s aid request for Israel. In 1981, I helped secure adoption of an amendment adding $312 million in aid for Israel. I also opposed the sale of awacs (airborne warning and control system) aircraft to Saudi Arabia. As a result of these and many other actions , the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee gave me a near-perfect voting record. After the Yom Kippur War in 1973, American aid to Israel reached a base level of $3.5 billion a year in economic and military assistance. At United Jewish Appeal dinners in my district, when attendees were asked how much they were prepared to contribute, I used to say, “I’ve already crossing the allenby bridge 37 given $3.5 billion at the office.” Then in honor of the evening’s honoree, I would personally add another $1,000. From a political perspective, my advocacy was not unlike congressmen from agricultural districts getting farm subsidies or congressmen from coal mining districts getting money for black lung disease. While foreign aid might have been unpopular in much of the country, in my district it was considered essential for the security and survival of a friendly nation to which my constituents were deeply attached. At the same time, I believed that American aid to Israel enhanced the prospects for peace in the Middle East by giving that beleaguered democracy the sense of security it required in order to make the territorial concessions to the Arabs that were essential to any agreement. I was convinced we were not only helping a democracy that shared our values but were advancing our strategic interests in this critically important part of the world. So it was natural that my first official trip as a member of Congress, a month after I was sworn in, was to the Middle East, and that my first stop was Israel. I arrived at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion airport dressed comfortably in dungarees, sneakers, and a short-sleeved shirt and joined the long line heading slowly toward the Israeli immigration inspectors. I was like one of Mark Twain’s innocents abroad, with no idea that standard operating procedure was for someone from the us embassy to meet official visitors and whisk them through the arrival procedures. As we inched along, I noticed a man dressed in a tie and jacket going up and down the line, clearly looking for someone. When he came within earshot, I heard him say,“Is Congressman Solarz here?” I guess I didn’t look much like a congressman, so I raised my hand to get his attention. Later that day, Nick Veliotes, the us chargé d’affaires (the top embassy official when the ambassador is out of the country), invited me to dinner at the ambassador’s residence in Herzliya, a city near Tel Aviv named in honor of Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism. I arrived about seven o’clock and peppered Nick and his “country team” with questions until at least midnight. I suspect that most of the embassy staffers there preferred the cuisine to the conversation. But for me the...

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