Envoy sent to U.S.

Press, 27 January 1988, Page 8

Envoy sent to U.S.

NZPA-Reuter Washington Israel, under fire even from American Jewish leaders for its methods of suppressing Palestinian protests in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, has sent a senior envoy to Washington to help improve its image. Cabinet Secretary Eliakim Rubinstein’s lightning visit coincides with a trip by President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, who is seeking United States support for his proposal that Palestinians and Israelis call a six-month truce in the violence. Israel has drawn world condemnation for its handling of the demonstrations, which have resulted in 39 deaths and have seen the most sustained violence in the territories since the Israelis occupied them in 1967.

The ranks of the critics extended yesterday to American Jewish leaders, who lambasted the Israeli Defence Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, for declaring a policy of “might, power and beatings” as a means of quelling the protests. American Jewish lobbyists are particularly concerned that the actions of the Israeli authorities could cost the country public and political support in the United States, which gives Israel about SUS 3 billion ($4.53 billion) annually in aid.