CONTENTS 24 CLOSE-UP Drug Myth CARLA JEAN SCHWARTZ America's dilemma with drugs and alcohol is invading the Jewish community. 38 LIFESTYLES Comedy Flavor CARLA JEAN SCHWARTZ Bill Carroll mixes public relations, comedy and Jewish interests. 41 LIFE IN ISRAEL Eye On The News CARL SCHRAG The New York Times' photographer in Israel tries to be informative. 49 B' NAI MITZVAH Shamir and Reagan: Don't browbeat the prime minister. Triple Bar Shamir's Refusal To Endorse Land For Peace Is No Obstacle MITCHELL BARD D espite softening his tone during his recent visit to Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir still is perceived to be the obstacle to pro- gress toward peace negotiations. Shamir deserves much of the blame because of his poor grasp of American public relations and his ill-advised remark that the only thing he liked about Secretary of State George Shultz's peace plan was the author's signature. Shamir's public attitude is partly attributable to domestic politics; that is, the need to satisfy his Likud Party and those further to the right who oppose territorial compromise. But there also has been a fundamental misunderstanding of his position because of his refusal to explicitly state a will- ingness to trade land for peace. Unless Shamir is lying and has no in- terest in negotiations, his position clearly implies a willingness to make some ter- ritorial compromises. If this were not true, then there would be nothing to negotiate. Shamir is no political novice. He understands that the only bargaining chip that Israel possesses and that the Arabs are interested in is land. Thus, to reach an agreement, Israel must give up some territory. To test his sincerity, Jordan's King Hus- sein need only agree to negotiate. If Shamir were then to say that Israel is not prepared to withdraw from any part of the West Bank, his deceit would be apparent to all. There is no reason to expect him to take Dr. Mitchell Bard is a foreign policy analyst in Washington. such a position. The real obstacle to the peace process is Hussein's unwillingness to issue the challenge. The debate on the Shultz initiative, up until now, has been focused on process; but the real obstacles to an agreement lie in the substance. The most serious of these is the question of Jerusalem. Remember that the parties could not come to any decision about Jerusalem at Camp David. Conse- quently, Egypt, Israel, and the United States all expressed contradictory views in side letters. Yet for Sadat, the issue was far less im- portant than it is to Hussein. It is in- conceivable that Hussein could sign an agreement acknowledging Israeli sovereignty over the Holy City. To do so would be to ask for the same fate that befell Sadat. At the same time, it is clear that the one issue on which all Israelis agree is that Jerusalem remain the undivided capital of Israel. Another crucial issue is the Palestinian demand for an independent state. There is a tendency to focus on this issue solely from the perspective of Israel — that is, the Israelis' adamant opposition to the creation of a potentially irredentist PLO state on its border. Hussein is no less adamant in his opposition to such a state, however, because he knows only too well that one of the PLO's objectives is to overthrow him, something already tried in 1970. The Palestinians have made it clear that they are not prepared to accept a confederation or any other attachment to Jordan; therefore, the continued pursuit of such an outcome is fruitless. The Israeli settlements also pose a Continued on Page 10 SUSAN WEINGARDEN The Heller triplets should have three times the naches this weekend. center PARTY GUIDE A complete, informative, upbeat look at parties, services and food. 61 ENTERTAINMENT News Beat JOANNE ZUROFF After fully adopting Detroit, Debra Silberstein has a new assignment. 88 SINGLE LIFE Happiness Quiz FRANCES GOULART A cheerful self-look at your happiness quotient. DEPARTMENTS 28 30 34 44 56 I 72 81 85 88 Seniors Engagements Births Single Life 118 Obituaries Inside Washington Synagogues Business Sports For Women CANDLELIGHTING June 17, 1988 8:52 p.m. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 7