>00000000000000000000 00000000000000000< :41K Israel ELECTION page 67 Fun, Whimsical and Reasonably Priced. Obican Tradition! Tradition! Call Alicia R. Nelson for an appointment (810) 557 0109 - )000000000000000000000000000000000< :41 '96 HONDA CIVIC DX 3 Door $ 1 9 majority of Israel's electorate is to be found. For the three years he's been at the Likud's helm, Mr. Netanyahu has not only subjected Labor's peace policy to a flood of acid criticism (as be- fits the leader of the opposition), but has identified his party with the protests of the settler move- ment and the parties on the far right. Yet, despite insistent probes by journalists and biting mock- ery from Labor's leading lights, he has always managed to wrig- gle out of producing any concrete, viable alternative to the govern- ment's program. Now, clear evidence of a change in tactics (if not wholly of heart) has come in the tantaliz- ing news that Mr. Netanyahu may move forward in the end-of- March session of the 300-mem- ber Likud Central Committee to deliberate a detailed proposal (re- plete with maps) for negotiating a permanent settlement with the Palestinians. Though he has refrained from publicly revealing details, leaks indicate that his proposal will ex- press a willingness to recognize and negotiate with the newly elected Palestinian Authority— provided, of course, that the clauses of the Palestinian Covenant calling for Israel's de- struction are rescinded and that the Authority changes its "rhetoric toward Israel." While conveying the sense that the Likud has reconciled it- self to the interim agreement, the proposal is expected to assure voters that, if elected, Mr. Ne- tanyahu will conduct future talks, but will absolutely block the establishment of a Palestin- ian state. The purpose of reveal- ing maps is to hamstring Labor (whose platform likewise oppos- es the creation of a Palestinian state) by daring it to do the same. A long awaited "final status" alternative proposal from Likud could be in the works. Most observers expect that the central committee will accept Mr. Netanyah's approach, though not without a bitter fight from such populsr figures as Mr. Begin and perhaps former Prime Minister Shamir. If Mr. Netanyahu succeeds, a closing of the gap between Labor and the Likud on the Palestinian issue will mean that although the most strident opposition to gov- ernment's policies has come from of the settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the key question in the upcoming election may be the future of the Golan Heights. Unless, of course, the wild card in the race — Syria's President Hafez el-Assad — also has an at- tack of flexibility and reaches an agreement with Israel before the elections. ❑ 9:er mos • EViN opitk, My Neighbor-Terrorist Raises An Old Question Why is Naif Hawatmeh, the revolutionary, welcoming an invitation to Palestine-controlled lands? ERIC SILVER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS •Automatic Transmission •Air •AM/FM Stereo TE2y Iforlaa T HE D E TR O I T J E W IS H N E WS "The All New" 88 649-0202 1835 Maplelawn TROY MOTOR MALL Open Mon. & Thurs. 9-9: Tues., Wed., Fri. 9-6; Sat 10-3 * 30 mo., 12,000 miles per year. 1st payment, sec. dep., acquisition fee & plate fees due at inception. Plus tax. The Perfect Family Gift... A Subscription To The Jewish News. (810) 354-6620 I srael is preparing to allow radical Palestinian leader, Naif Hawatmeh, to move from Damascus to the Gaza Strip. This is despite the fact that his gunmen carried out one of the most notorious massacres of Israeli civilians — the raid on the northern town of Maealot in May 1974 in which 24 school- children were killed. After the recent Palestinian elections, the Israeli Prime Min- ister, Shimon Peres, announced that all members of the Pales- tine National Council would be free to return to territory un- der Palestinian jurisdiction. Un- der the 1993 Oslo agreement, Israel still controls the border crossings from Egypt and Jor- The 483-member council, the old parliament in exile, is due to vote within two months on an Israeli demand to annul claus- es in the 1964 Palestinian Char- ter that advocate the destruction of the Jewish state. It will meet in Gaza, and the Palestinian Au- thority President, Yassir Arafat, has promised to do his best to have the offending passages re- pealed. Mr. Peres does not want to be accused of rigging the vote by keeping out Mr. Arafat's crit- ics. Mr. Hawatmeh, alone among left-wing rejectionist leaders, is eager to take up the offer. In a series of telephone interviews with the Israeli media, the head of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine has an-