BACKGROUND
Triangular Trap
As the countdown nears for Mideast peace talks in
Washington, Israel is increasingly suspicious of its
Arab neighbors — and of Washington.
Foreign Correspondent
A
s it approaches
negotiations with its
Arab neighbors in
Washington next Wednes-
day, Israel is ensnared in a
tangled web of political,
economic and psychological
machinations.
Psychological pressures
over Israel's missing ser-
vicemen in Lebanon are
compounding political
pressures to halt settlement
activities in the occupied
territories. They are also
worsening the economic
pressures which followed
Washington's hesitation to
consider Israel's request for
a $10 billion loan guarantee.
Top Israeli economists are
focusing on wide-ranging
damage-limitation exercises
to stop the fall-out from the
loan guarantee affair.
According to a senior
Israeli official, Western fi-
nancial institutions, which
traditionally extend loans to
Israel without guarantees,
became nervous when Israel
sought such a guarantee
from the United States —
and horrified when its
closest ally appeared reluc-
tant to grant it.
To dispel suspicions that
Jerusalem may be about to
default on its loans, senior
Israeli officials have been
despatched to European
capitals to persuade major
banks of Israel's continued
credit-worthiness.
On another front, Israeli
military analysts are con-
vinced that Washington is
deliberately limiting
culpability to Libya for the
bombing of Pan Am flight
103 over the Scottish town of
Lockerbie in December,
1988.
It was widely suspected
that Iran commissioned the
Syrian-based Popular Front
for the Liberation of
Palestine-General Com-
mand (PFLP-GC) to bomb
the plane in retaliation for
the 1986 downing of an Ira-
nian airliner by the USS
Vincennes in the Persian
Gulf.
Two months before the
Lockerbie disaster, PFLP-
GC members were ap-
prehended in West Germany
with barometric explosive
devices hidden in a Toshiba
cassette recorder. These
were precisely the sort of ex-
plosives that destroyed the
270 people aboard Pan Am
103.
Statements by U.S. and
British officials have effec-
tively absolved Iran and
Syria by implicating only
two relatively low-level Li-
byan intelligence agents.
Israeli Officials Are Angry Over
U.S. Snub Of Yitzhak Shamir
Israeli officials were
furious at the perceived
snub of Prime Minister
Shamir by the Bush ad-
ministration, which
issued invitations to
Washington for the next
round of bilateral peace
talks just hours before
Mr. Shamir was slated to
discuss the matter of their
venue with President
Bush.
Cabinet members,
newspaper columnists
and even opposition
leaders like Yitzhak
Rabin and Ezer Weizman
expressed their sense of
insult over Mr. Shamir's
treatment at the ad-
ministration's hands.
The affront of the ill-
timed summons was corn-
pounded by the -fact that
the prime minister was
not even supplied with a
copy of the four-page docu-
ment, which was delivered
instead to the Foreign Min-
istry in Jerusalem. Worse
yet, Israelis were informed
of the date and place of the
talks by none other than
the spokesman of the Pa-
lestinian delegation, Dr.
Hanan Ashrawi, who an-
nounced her receipt of the
invitation to the press.
Although, upon return-
ing to Israel, Mr. Shamir
tried to play down the af-
fair and denied that he
was personally insulted
by the way the invitation
was handled, speculation
continues about what
really lay behind the flap.
Israeli journalists cover-
ing the Shamir U.S. visit
reported that State
Department officials were
anywhere from apologetic
to gloating over Mr.
Shamir's discomfort. Pri-
vately, one wrote, some
officials apologized to
Israeli diplomats for a
breakdown in com-
munications and for
Baker's lapse in manners.
Dennis Ross was reported
to have explained to
Shamir aides Eliakim
Rubinstein and Yossi
Ben-Aharon that the tim-
ing had been an unfor-
tunate error with no
offense intended.
But Ha'aretz diplomatic
correspondent Akiva
Eldar wrote that other of-
ficials shrugged off the
outrage of Israeli diplo-
mats and implied that
Mr. Shamir had brought
the latest drubbing down
upon himself by asser-
ting, in his U.S. ad-
dresses, that he would
never relinquish the ter-
ritories.
Though the bruised feel-
ings are unlikely to help
restore genuine closeness,
the motive behind Mr.
Baker's action seems less
an irrepressible urge to
pummel the prime min-
ister than a desire to
bypass the fine print of
procedure and get down to
brass tacks, quickly.
The majority of Israelis,
moreover, seem ready to
follow that agenda. A poll
taken on Sunday showed
that even after a weekend
of emotional reporting in
Israel, a full 78 percent of
those questioned were in
favor of talks in Washing-
ton. ❑
Ina Friedman
Armoric from Newsday by Gary Viskupic. Copyright .
1991. Newsday. Distributed by Los Angela Times Syndicate.
releases more Lebanese
This has provoked suspi-
Shi'ites prisoners it or its
cions in Israel that Iran and
proxy militia in South Leb-
Syria's roles were covered up
anon is holding.
to hasten the release of
The fear now is that Hez-
hostages by the pro-Iranian
bollah might release the
Hezbollah movement in
Western hostages without
Lebanon and to encourage
striking a deal with Israel —
Syria's participation in the
and that the price of Capt.
peace process.
Arad's freedom will dra-
"Details of the American
matically increase. It may
disclosure regarding the
include a mass release of Pa-
responsibility of Libya do
lestinian prisoners and a
not impress Israeli experts,"
commitment to halt to
Ze'ev Schiff, Israel's leading
military activity against
military commentator,
Hezbollah bases.
wrote in Ha'aretz last week.
Another sign of the
Mr. Schiff noted that there
deepening mistrust between
is a "fundamental dis-
the Jewish state and the
agreement" between Israeli
and American intelligence
regarding responsibility for
the Pan Am bombing.
Israelis fear
Israeli officials believe
Washington
may
Washington is planning to
entice Syria to the peace
entice Syria to
talks by pledging to remove
peace talks by
its name from the State
removing it from
Department's list of states
that sponsor international
the list of states
terrorism and by muting
that sponsor
allegations about Syrian in-
international
volvement in drug-
terrorism.
trafficking.
A confidential message to
the Israeli Foreign Ministry
last week from its embassy
United States is Israeli offi-
in Washington reportedly
cials' suspicions that Wash-
quoted a "senior U.S. fig-
ington is making back-door
ure" as saying, "If we are
deals with Islamic funda-
tough on the Syrians over
mentalists to secure the
terror and drugs, they will
release of its own hostages.
withdraw from negotia-
Israelis say Assistant Sec-
tions."
retary of State for Near
On yet a third front,
Eastern Affairs John Kelly
Israelis are concerned that
has been holding indirect
the kidnapers in Lebanon
contacts with Hezbollah for
may release all their
months.
Western hostages — and not
They believe these con-
the four Israeli servicemen
tacts led Hezbollah to
still missing in Lebanon.
release an American
Israel is demanding the
hostage, Dr. Thomas
return of the one captive it
Sutherland, last week and to
believes is still alive, Air
promise freeing the remain-
Force Navigator Capt. Ron
ing three by the end of the
Arad, plus proof of the fate of
year. ❑
the remaining three before it
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
29
N TER N AT I ON A L
HELEN DAVIS