Congress Prepares to Support Israel

Congress, venting its pent-up outrage at Mideast violence, moved suddenly Wednesday toward approval of resolutions expressing support for Israel, forcing the Bush administration to scramble to prevent diplomatic damage.

The development came days after the White House had persuaded House GOP leaders to postpone a vote on a resolution that includes criticism of the Palestinian leadership stemming from the suicide bombing campaign against Israeli civilians.

Administration officials had argued that congressional action could hinder efforts to broker peace with the help of Arab states. But now legislators from both parties say the time has come for Congress to speak out.

House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) announced a vote today on a resolution “expressing solidarity with Israel in its fight against terrorism.”

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), in a White House meeting Wednesday, told President Bush the Senate would soon take similar action. The Senate resolution, Daschle told reporters, “simply says what I think America needs to say, and that is: ‘We support Israel.’”

Responding to a pro-Israel stampede the administration apparently can no longer contain, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said Bush is understanding of the congressional desire to make a statement. The president told Daschle he would work with Congress on the issue, Fleischer said.

But Fleischer cautioned that while the 100 senators and 435 House members may have opinions on the Mideast, “no foreign policy can survive 535 different secretaries of State.”

Any vote taken in the House or the Senate would be expected to go overwhelmingly in Israel’s favor. For years, Congress has backed the Jewish state with large amounts of military and economic aid--nearly $3 billion in the current fiscal year. Periodically, legislators also have voted for pro-Israel resolutions or signed letters of support for it.

The most recent congressional vote on the Mideast came late last year. On Dec. 5, after two deadly bombings in Israel, the House approved a pro-Israel resolution, 384 to 11.

But while the margins for Israel are expected to be just as high in the upcoming votes, administration officials were most concerned about the wording of the resolutions.

As proposed, the latest House resolution, sponsored by Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and Rep. Tom Lantos (D-San Mateo), contained blunt language. It questioned whether Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is a “viable partner for peace”; condemned the “ongoing support and coordination of terror” by Arafat and others; and backed additional U.S. aid to help Israel defend itself.

Congressional aides said Wednesday that they expected the measure would be modified slightly to assuage the administration’s concerns. One expected change would say the House condemns Arafat for “tolerating” rather than coordinating terror. Another probable change would drop the reference to additional funding for Israel. More aid, however, could be forthcoming as early as this month.

The White House gave tacit assent to a House vote Wednesday, a GOP leadership aide said.

The Senate resolution appears to be more to the administration’s liking. Sponsored by Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), the resolution is milder than the House version and does not mention Arafat by name.

It does, however, declare that the United States “stands in solidarity with Israel, a front line state in the war against terrorism, as it takes necessary steps to provide security to its people by dismantling the terrorist infrastructure in the Palestinian areas.”

The Senate version also condemns Palestinian suicide bombings and declares that the United States will continue to help Israel defend itself.

On one level, the resolutions do not pose a major obstacle for Bush’s foreign policy. They are legally nonbinding, and language in them quotes Bush and praises his diplomacy. But presidents rarely are eager for Congress to step directly into foreign affairs.

The resolutions also have a domestic political dimension. Republican and Democratic legislators have their eyes on an important constituency in an election year: an aroused Jewish community.

Earlier this week, House Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) accused DeLay of seeking to drive a wedge between Democrats and Jewish voters by promoting his strongly worded resolution.

While Pelosi acknowledged that she would probably support his resolution, she noted that the action would be closely followed by a Jewish community that has tended to vote Democratic.

“The point is, [DeLay] wants to woo away some of those voters from the Democrats to Republicans,” Pelosi told reporters.

In recent weeks, the Capitol has been a stage for large rallies by Palestinian sympathizers and supporters of Israel. Jewish American and Arab American groups also have pressed their views on legislators.

Rep. Darrell E. Issa (R-Vista) said he has been besieged by activists seeking to air their Mideast grievances.

“Lobby groups certainly are turning up the pressure--every Arab and every pro-Israel group,” Issa said.

“We couldn’t possibly meet with them all. It is becoming very intense.”

Times staff writers Janet Hook and Edwin Chen contributed to this report.