Gov. to Arrive in Israel for Quick Visit

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to arrive here today for a two-day sprint through Israel, where he will speak at a museum groundbreaking, meet with political leaders, push for more trade with California and, perhaps as a subtext, attempt to allay concerns that as the youngest son of a Nazi Party member he might be intolerant of Jews.

Schwarzenegger’s first foreign trip as governor fulfills a promise he had made to the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which on Sunday will break ground in Jerusalem for a $200-million museum meant to promote tolerance.

The governor and the Los Angeles-based center have a long history. He has given it about $750,000 through the years and has also solicited contributions for the new Jerusalem museum. The center, for its part, has investigated his deceased father at his request and concluded that Gustav Schwarzenegger, a member of the Nazi “brownshirts,” did not commit war crimes.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Wiesenthal Center, said Schwarzenegger agreed to attend the groundbreaking last year, before he jumped into the recall race that eventually carried him into office.

“I said, ‘Arnold, this is going to be a great moment when it happens,’ ” Hier said. “And he said, ‘I will be there.’ ”

The governor’s itinerary calls for a meeting here today with businesses that have interests in California. Schwarzenegger is to attend the museum celebration and a dinner on Sunday.

He is also expected to meet Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. That’s a fateful day for Sharon, who faces a vote within his party on his plan for withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

On Monday, the governor is scheduled to visit U.S. troops at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

While in Israel, Schwarzenegger may face questions on the Gaza pullout and other sensitive points of Middle East diplomacy -- a subject that has tripped up even elected officials better versed in the region’s history. Middle East experts said the governor would be smart to stick to broad and unambiguous calls to eliminate prejudice.

Especially when he is talking off the cuff, Schwarzenegger can be loose in his wording, creating confusion about exactly where he stands on volatile issues such as taxes and gay marriage. In the Middle East, an imprecise phrase can inadvertently give great offense, experts said.

“Every word, every phrase, use of an article or omission can be treacherous,” said Kenneth W. Stein, a professor of Middle Eastern history and political science at Emory University. Stein added that the governor “has to make the appropriate comments as to his feelings. He may be asked about the war on terrorism. He may be asked if [President] Bush and Sharon are too close together.

“God, I hope he’s been prepared,” Stein said.

Steven Spiegel, professor of political science at UCLA, said: “If I were advising him, I’d say stay away from details. You can make the usual, broad ‘We love Israel’ statement and you’re safe.”

In advance of his trip to Israel, Schwarzenegger was briefed by the State Department, the Israeli consulate, his own staff, and Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Silvan Shalom during a visit in March. The governor doesn’t intend to veer far from the script.

“The referendum is an Israeli political matter and it’s for the people of Israel to vote on that,” said Patricia Clarey, the governor’s chief of staff. “That’s not the purpose of this trip. He’s the governor of California, and he’s here at the invitation of Rabbi Hier to help kick off the new and beautiful museum that they’re building.”

Even before his private plane touches down, Schwarzenegger is facing criticism over the visit. Back home in California, some Arab Americans are voicing disappointment that he is not taking time to hear from Palestinians about their differences with Israel, according to Associated Press.

The governor’s aides counter that the trip’s main purpose is the groundbreaking, leaving little time in the span of two days for much else. “We wish we were here longer,” said a member of the governor’s entourage. “We would have done a lot of things.”

Security for the visit will be tight. The State Department is warning Americans to postpone trips to Israel, citing escalating tensions between the Israeli government and Hamas. The hotel where Schwarzenegger is staying is already being patrolled by armed guards because it is hosting players from a European league basketball tournament. The hotel anticipates more guards will be posted once the governor checks in.

A bonus for Schwarzenegger might be the trip’s symbolism. By some measures, Israel is an unusual choice. Among California’s trading partners, Israel ranks just 22nd. Mexico, in contrast, ranks first and is a country with which California shares both a border and knotty immigration issues. Former Gov. Gray Davis visited Mexico four times.

Yet a visit to Israel may help the governor rebut charges made during the recall campaign about his past. Gustav Schwarzenegger aside, the governor was dogged by allegations that he had spoken admiringly of Hitler in the ‘70s. Schwarzenegger denied that was true, insisting he loathed Hitler and “everything that the Nazis stood for.”

Tamara Wittes, a research fellow in the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, said the trip amounts to “a double score.” The governor can promote bilateral trade, she said, and also “subtly get at people’s concerns about his Austrian background without having to refer to it directly in any way.”

Assemblywoman Rebecca Cohn (D-Saratoga) said of the governor’s trip:

“He is clearly trying to send a signal that he’s making a commitment for tolerance and respect and unity. I hope that translates into policies he’s willing to promote.”