The Nation - News from Aug. 8, 1988

The Rev. Jesse Jackson met in Washington with Israeli Ambassador Moshe Arad at a session in which they tried to soothe tensions between blacks and American Jews but aired their differences on the Middle East. Jackson said the 2 1/2-hour meeting at Arad’s home was “very fruitful . . . a meeting of substance covering a broad range of very real subjects.” Jackson said he proposed creating “some kind of council” or “conduit for communication” so that the two groups, historical allies on civil rights, can talk with each other when they disagree. The former Democratic presidential candidate initiated the meeting with Arad. The ambassador issued a statement in which he said the session “provided a useful opportunity to review the situation in the Middle East, especially the Arab-Israeli conflict, to discuss issues of mutual concern and to clarify points of difference.”