Professors' Petition Asks U.S. To Cut Back Aid to Israel

About 50 Harvard professors last month joined more than 450 academies in singing a petition that urges the suspension of all U.S. and to Israel promoting that country's current policies toward Lebanon and the Palestinians.

John Womuck Jr. 59 chairman of the History Department, helped circulate the petition nationwide. Other prominent University faculty members singing the statement included Harvey G.Con Jr. Thomas professor of Divinity, Stephen Jay Could, Professor of Ceology; Nuthan I, Huggin chairman of the Afro-American studies Department and Martin L. Kilson Jr. professor of Government.

Wormeck and MIT biologist Sulvador E. Luriu then sent copies earlier this month to Vice President George Bush Rep Thomas P O'Neill (D.Mass) Speaker of the House and each member of the House and Senate appropriations committees.

The petition recommends ending "aid to Israel that enables the government of Israel to wage war in Lebanon, to establish settlements in Palestinian land and to deprive the Palestinian people of heir civil and political right.

The aid cut may be the only way to Head Israel's government to accept a Middle East solution based on peaceful negotiation and not military force, Womack and Luria said in a separate letter sent the petition.

The petition is intentionally vague concerning exactly what aid should be suspended, Womack said yesterday. "We don't want a cut off all aid we only want to stop aid that Congress itself decides is promoting the aggressive policies." he added.

Many singers stressed that the petition only opposed Israel's current government not Israel's existence. "My signature is definitely not an anti Israel statement, but I am supporting the anti Begin people in Israel." Cox said earlier this week.

Signers also agreed that the aid suspension would not jeopardize Israel's security. "Israel is so overwhelmingly dominant that only the security of its neighbors is in jeopardy right now." said Noam Chomsky, professor of linguistics and philosophy at MIT.