Party Leaders Squelch Arab Democrats’ Mideast View

A growing conflict between Jews and Arab-Americans within the California Democratic Party surfaced Saturday as party leaders squelched a resolution calling for support of a Palestinian homeland.

Although the executive board of the California Democratic Party rejected the proposal by a 4-1 margin, the fact that it was considered at all demonstrated growing strength of Arab-Americans within the party. It also indicated that support for Israel has deteriorated among Democrats after nearly five months of continuous unrest in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

“Today was a victory for us, since we wanted, and received, a debate on Palestinian human rights,” said Salam Al-Marayati, a spokesman for the Muslim Political Action Committee and an advocate of the resolution. “But we lost an historic opportunity to balance Democratic Party policy and achieve permanent peace in the Middle East.”

Challenge to Policy

The resolution offered by Arab-American groups marked the first time the state Democratic Party’s longstanding support for Israel has openly been called into question.

The proposed amendment to the party platform would have put the party on record as supporting “the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination in the West Bank and Gaza district.” The measure also called for “an international peace conference to negotiate all outstanding issues in the Arab-Israel conflict.”

The measure was vehemently opposed by Jews and their political allies, who contended such a policy would bolster the position of Arabs who favor the destruction of the Jewish state.

The proposal prompted an outpouring of opposition from Democratic Party leaders and elected officials who argued that the party should back the United States’ effort to encourage negotiations in the Middle East without imposing any conditions, such as the creation of a Palestinian state.

Plea From Roberti

State Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti, in an impassioned speech before the board, said the proposal was a “heinous resolution” that symbolized the “ugly anti-semitism that is endemic to some people.”

“We all sympathize with the dying and dead of both sides in this terrible crisis,” said Roberti, whose Los Angeles district includes the heavily Jewish Beverly-Fairfax area. “Let’s not pass a one-sided resolution.”

During the week leading up to the vote, Jewish community leaders rallied opposition to the measure, which they viewed with considerable alarm.

“I think that it’s very significant. This has never happened before,” said Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. “I think it’s important they (Arab activists) are testing the waters. They feel the climate is right now that they can get away with introducing it.”

Help to Republicans

Adoption of such a stance, Hier said, would drive Jewish voters out of the party and into the arms of Republicans.

“They (Democrats) would have to forget about the Jewish vote in the November election,” he said.

Already, many Jewish voters have been alienated by Jesse Jackson, who in his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination has advocated support for a Palestinian state.

Some of Jackson’s supporters within the state party backed the resolution. But there was no indication that the Jackson campaign, itself, was pushing for it.

Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, the Democratic front runner, sent word that he was opposed to the platform amendment.

Leaders Unified

Also joining the opposition were most of the state’s top Democrats--including U.S. Sen. Alan Cranston, Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy, Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp, Controller Gray Davis and more than a dozen congressmen and state legislators.