The President acted unilaterally and incorrectly. It was a bad policy decision. Loan guarantees are a humanitarian issue and are consistent with United States policy over decadesto provide freedom. to provide emigration for Soviet Jews and to assist further in their resettlement elsewhere. They need absorption assistance. For years. the United States fought for the right for Soviet Jews to emigrate. We put our prestige and our trade benefits on the line for that polIcy. For years. there was not a highlevel meeting between United States and Soviet Union officials that took place in which the issue of unfettered emigration was not raised. There was not a Soviet Government official who did not know that MFN. mostfavorednation trading status was inexplicably linked to the emigration of Soviet Jews. Now. they are emigrating in unprecedented numbers. We have won the battle on free emigration. At the same time. we have made very careful decisions about limiting the number of them who can come to the United States. We put a cap on that. So where are they going to go? I believe that we have a moral obligation to help resettle these refugees from the former Soviet Union. And I think the administration is wrong to hold them hostage to a policy over which they have absolutely no control. The need in Israel for absorption assistance could not be. greater. Over 400.000 new immigrants arrived In Israel since late 1989. The population has been boosted by nearly 10 percent. Israel took 200.000 immigrants in 1990 and 170.500 In 1991. despite the gulf war. Some 600.000 more are expected through 1995. for a total of 1 million immigrants. That is a population. increase of more than 20 percent. It is comparable to United States over a 1year period Increasing its population by some 50 million people.
Keywords matched
emigration emigrate immigrants emigrating refugees