(Jerusalem Post) Sarah Katz - Minister for Diaspora Affairs Natan Sharansky has proposed a change in U.S. policy to financially reward Arab nations fighting anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiment in the Middle East. At the Congressional Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, he encouraged Congress to pursue a linkage policy similar to the one in 1976 establishing a linkage between human rights and economic aid to the Soviet Union. Sharansky hopes to quell global attacks on Jews by linking opposition to the new anti-Semitism with economic aid. "Today, linkage can be used to marginalize the extremists in the Arab world and to encourage and support the moderate Muslims who can and should be our partners in bringing understanding and peace between people and religions. I believe that combating anti-Semitism ought to become a much more prominent issue in the bilateral relations between America and the Arab and Muslim worlds," Sharansky said.
2004-06-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive