The PLO and American Principles

To the Editors of The Crimson:

In the midst of the political fracas over President Reagan's Supreme Court nominees and the Iran-Contra scandal, a dangerous attack is being mounted on the Constitution's guarantee of free speech and access to information, while much of the national press, The Crimson included, remains silent. At this very moment, two attempts are being made to close offices of the Palestine Liberation Organization with the intention of unconstitutionally silencing the supporters of that organization. This miscarriage of justice must be resisted if Americans wish to maintain their justifiably proud claim to freedom of politicial expression.

The opening gambit of this movement, which pro-Israel lobbyists made their top priority this year, came when bills were introduced into both houses of Congress mandating the closing of the Palestine Information Office (PIO) in Washington and the Mission of the Palestine Liberation Organization in New York. At the same time, Secretary of State George Schultz stated that it would be unconstitutional to close the Washington office as long as it complied with the US laws governing registered foreign agents. Under these laws, the office must be staffed with American citizens and register its publications with the State Department. Secretary Schultz was not alone in this judgment; the American Civil Liberties Union and Congressman Barney Frank were also quick to adopt the PIO's cause. As for the UN mission, the US is bound by the 1947 "Headquarters Agreement" to allow UN personnel to stay in the US to carry out their duties. Since there has never been any formal charge of misconduct agaonst any PLO diplomat employed by either office, one might ask why some congressmen think that these offices should be closed. The answer is that the pro-Israel lobby, 40 organizations strong, has insisted on the closing of the ofices. The supporters of these maneuvers include Senators Alan Cranston and Edward Kennedy, as well as presidential candidated Jack Kemp, Paul Simon, and Bob Dole.

The second chapter of the story came when the Administration, sensing that the closure of both offices might cause a serious rift in US relations with friendly Arab states, tried to make a deal with the pro-Israel lobbyists. Washington Jewish Week has reported that the State Department offered to push for the closing of the PIO in exchange for the lobby dropping its demand for the illegal closing of the UN mission. At first, the PLO was given 30 days to divest itself from the PIO, but was later given an extension to December 1. The Director of the PIO, Hassan Abdel-Rahman, and the ACLU have taken the State Department to court, hoping to find more respect for their constitutional rights.

In the meantime, however, the supporters of Israel have pushed ahead anyway. Senator Charles Grassley has managed to have an amendment added to the State Department Authorization bill that would close both offices. If the Grassley amendment passes, the legitimate rights of American citizens will be traded for the support of one special interest group! The question is not: Do you support the PLO? The question really is: Do you support the constitutional right of all Americans to express their opinions through political organizations? We urge the press and citizens of the United States of America to join us in resisting this travesty of American principles. Dina Abu-Ghaida '91   Wilson B. Bisbai   Sammy Hassan '88   Mona Khalil '88   Martha McElroy '88   Fouad S. Onbargi   Joshua Peterson '91   Adam Sabra '90   Ameneh Ziai '88