Zschau Keeps Low Profile on Israel Visit : Shuns Offer to Beef Up Press Coverage of His Fact-Finding Tour

When his Foreign Ministry hosts offered to facilitate press coverage for his current visit to Israel, Ed Zschau, California’s Republican U.S. Senate candidate, respectfully declined.

A low-profile approach seemed more in keeping with his essentially defensive goal in coming to Israel, the two-term congressman from Los Altos said in an interview here.

He is not out to prove that he is more of a friend to Israel than his Democratic opponent, Sen. Alan Cranston. Given Cranston’s reputation as one of Israel’s strongest backers in the Senate, that would be unrealistic.

But while Cranston “may have a more pro-Israel voting record than I do, the differences are so small that it shouldn’t be an issue,” Zschau said. “And my objective is to make sure that it isn’t.”

Zschau arrived here last Saturday, accompanied by six American Jewish supporters--three each from Northern and Southern California. They, not the press, will be his “vehicle to get the message back to the Jewish community,” he said.

Zschau said Jewish supporters urged him to make the trip after criticism of his voting record on issues affecting Israel became a campaign issue.

The Times reported last weekend that four former presidents of the Jewish Federation Council of Los Angeles were among those preparing a letter that strongly criticizes Zschau for his positions on Israel and urges a bipartisan effort by Israel’s supporters to help reelect Cranston.

Also, Rabbi Isaiah Zeldon of the 12,000-member Stephen S. Wise Temple in Los Angeles has written Zschau saying that he expects the candidate to “reassess” several of his positions following his return from Israel.

Among those controversial stands were: Zschau’s support last month for a U.S. weapons sale to Saudi Arabia; a 1985 Zschau proposal that would have cut supplemental aid to a number of programs, including some affecting Israel and Egypt; the congressman’s support in 1985 for a delay in emergency economic assistance for Israel, and Zschau’s initial opposition in 1984 to establishing a free-trade arrangement with Israel, a position he changed after the plan was amended to protect California agriculture.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry arranged a packed program for Zschau’s five-day stay, including private meetings with most of the government’s top leaders, a tour of the strategically important Golan Heights, a preview of Israel’s controversial Lavi jet fighter, and intelligence briefings with senior army officers.

An Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity described the visit as “very important from our point of view,” whether Zschau wins his Senate race or not.

“He has a kind of mixed voting record on issues related to Israel. We would like to believe some of his stands on issues related to Israel he may have taken because he was ill-informed. And we hope that after his briefings, he may see things in a different light.”

Anxious to Talk

The Israelis were particularly anxious to talk about the Lavi, the development of which has been financed almost entirely with U. S. aid. The aircraft, which is due to make its first flight in September, is opposed by the American defense establishment, which argues that Israel would be better off buying American planes than expending its scarce resources on developing its own.

Asked if he had reassessed any of his positions as a result of his talks so far, Zschau replied: “I’m one of those who doesn’t want to come to conclusions until I finish my data gathering.”

He has a full day of meetings scheduled today before he leaves Thursday for Washington.

Still, Zschau said, he has gained a “deeper understanding” of certain issues as a result of his meetings here. He noted, for example, that while the Israeli government has done an admirable job of bringing inflation under control, the result is a contracting economy.

“So the next challenge,” he said, “is how do you pull out of this without reigniting inflation? I hadn’t fully focused on the pulling-out phase.”

Different Approach

That does not necessarily mean the need for more American economic aid, he said, and added: “I think we have in the past said, ‘Oh! Israel’s economy needs help, so let’s send money.’ I’m saying maybe there are some other things we could send to help the economy to grow.”

Zschau, who attended the dedication of Luz Industries’ new Israeli headquarters in Jerusalem on Monday, pointed to that company’s success as a possible model for Israeli-American economic cooperation. Luz designs and produces solar power plants, two of which are supplying electric power in Southern California. Five more are on order by Southern California Edison.

“It’s a great example,” Zschau said. “The U.S. benefits, the investors benefit, Israel benefits.”