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condemned
by the Palestinians
and the Syrians as a blow to the
peace process. Mahmoud Abbas.
the chief Palestinian negotiator
in talks on the final status of the
West Bank and Gaza, com-
plained that its positions "con-
tradict the spirit of peace." They
were, he said, "uncompromising
and stubborn."
The Netanyahu government
undertakes to 'negotiate with the
Palestinian Authority, with the
intent of reaching a permanent
arrangement, on the condition
that the Palestinians fulfill all
their commitments fully." With-
out being specific, this gives Mr.
Netanyahu an escape hatch if he
does not see where the negotia-
tions are leading. Neither the Is-
raelis nor the Palestinians have
ever fulfilled all their commit-
ments.
But, more critically, Mr. Ne-
tanyahu rules out any chance of
a Palestinian state, or a Jordan-
ian-Palestinian federation. He is
offering the Palestinians as a per-
manent, not an interim solution,
"an arrangement whereby they
will be able to conduct their lives
freely within the framework of
self-government." Autonomy, but
no more.
The new Israeli regime also
sets its face against allowing for
a return by hundreds of thou-
sands of Palestinian refugees to
the West Bank and Gaza.
On Jerusalem, Mr. Ne-
tanyahu is closer to the rhetoric
(though not always the actions)
of the outgoing Labor adminis-
tration. He asserts that the holy
city will "remain forever under
Israel's sovereignty."
The guidelines make no men-
tion of Hebron, the last West
Bank town still under Israeli oc-
cupation, which Israel was sup-
posed to evacuate in March. But
they do talk in general terms
about strengthening and re-
taining settlements on both
sides of the old green-line bor-
der.
On the Syrian front, the in-
coming government says: "Re-
taining Israeli sovereignty over
the Golan will be the basis for an
arrangement with Syria." Dam-
ascus is still demanding all or
nothing. ❑
Conventional Wisdom
Is Anything But
Like GOP soothsayers here, extremist "experts" in
Israel predict Netanyahu's impact will miss the mark.
JAMES D. BESSER WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
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nalysts in the American
On the other end of the
media are dishing up the- spectrum, the Chicken Little
ories about the growing contingent predicted that
similarities between Is- the change in Congress would
raeli and American democracy,
result in the virtual end of civi-
and most of the comparisons are lization as we know it, thanks
derogatory. Israeli voting, they to catastrophic cuts in govern-
say, is becoming just as brain- ment programs, dangerous
less as politicking in this coun- economic experimentation and
try.
a virtual rewrite of the Consti-
But they may be missing an- tution by Christian right ac-
other important similarity: The tivists.
"expert" commentary, or con-
Both views were wrong. The
ventional wisdom, offered by the Republican-led Congress was
extremist media in both coun- unsuccessful in its efforts to ig-
tries generally is anything but nite an all-consuming revolution
wise.
in the way government func-
In Washington, the failure tions, but it was darned suc-
of the conventional wisdom cessful in producing rapid
was apparent in the days evolutionary change that stood
after the 1994 Republican the status quo on its ear.
takeover of Congress, when the
The GOP insurgents were un-
pundits gravitated to two ex- able to pass a balanced budget
tremes.
amendment that would force an <
The status-quo adherents of- end to expansive government so-
fered theories along these lines: cial programs, but they clearly
The incoming Republicans succeeded in shifting the "cen-
would quickly moderate their ter' far to the right in the debate
rhetoric and adapt the prag- over the role of government. In
matic ways of Washington. In 1996, much of their policy is ac-
no time at all, the Republican cepted dogma in both parties.
revolutionaries would be doing
But the changeover wasn't
power lunches with lobbyists the non-event predicted by wish-
and voting like veteran middle- ful- thinking liberals, either.
of-the-roaders.
It's important to note that