Arabs End Summit With Blast at U.S. Aid of Israel

Arab leaders ended their summit today with harsh criticism of the United States, saying its support of Israel encourages the Jewish state to stonewall peace moves and settle Jews on occupied land.

Their statement was seen as a major defeat for pro-U.S. moderates led by Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The 20-page final communique urged a halt to the influx of Jews into Israel and pledged financial and political support for the Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule of the occupied territories. No figures were made public.

The communique was released after a three-day summit marked by disagreement between hard-liners and moderates. PLO chief Yasser Arafat called the summit to discuss Arab concerns over the immigration of Soviet Jews to Israel.

Some last-minute changes were made on the draft text, tempering an outright threat of economic sanctions, and possibly an oil embargo, on states that encourage Jewish immigration to Israel.

Instead, the leaders instructed economic, financial and foreign ministers of the 21-member Arab League to meet within two months to re-evaluate relations and recommend to the next summit possible sanctions against states that facilitate immigration to Israel.

That appeared to be the only concession the hard-liners--led by Iraq and the PLO--made to the moderates.

Israeli officials have said hundreds of thousands of Jews could go to Israel in the next few years because of relaxed travel restrictions in the Soviet Union and tighter entry quotas in the United States.