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Binyamin Netanyahu's visit
to Washington attracts the
"analysts" in advance.

JAMES D. BESSER WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT

ins

Binyamin Netanyahu acknowledegs his supporters.

s expected, Binyamin Netanyahu's inaugur-
al visit to Washington as Israeli prime minis-
ter attracted spin doctors the way picnics
attract flies.
Although the intimate details of his White
House meeting with President Clinton . are
still trickling out, everybody knew in advance
how the diplomatic get-together would be
portrayed, thanks to the aggressive effort
to shape expectations and perceptions.
"Friendly" and "productive" were the most
overworked adjectives in news reports; lis-
tening to some commentators in the days be-
fore the trip, it was hard to tell if this was a
serious diplomatic mission or a first meeting
between a hopeful suitor and his fiancee's fam-
ily.
With that in mind, it may be instructive
to look at how various actors in this drama will
spin this week's meetings.

1. Most Jewish leaders will depict the
trip as a reassuring indication that U.S.-
Israeli relations are as close as ever.

Reporters have a strong interest in Mideast
stories laced with tension and behind-the-
scenes wrangling, but most American Jews
want just the opposite —reassuring signs that
American and Israeli officials are getting along,
even when they differ on important policy
questions.
Mr. Netanyahu's election scared American
Jewish leaders because of the prospect of re-
newed Washington-Jerusalem tensions; this
week's visit provided the first opportunity to
begin fashioning an alternative reality. In a
town where well-constructed spin often helps
shape the real world, a broad spectrum ofJew-
ish leaders united to pronounce the trip a
smashing success even before Mr. Netanyahu
touched the tarmac at Andrews Air Force
Base.
But beneath the generally positive spin will
be distinctly different interpretations.

2. The Jewish right will spin the trip
as a success and as a mandate for Mr. Ne-
tanyahu to alter the peace process.

The Jewish right's analysis will go some-
thing like this: Israel has taken a giant step
toward reversing the land-for-peace policies
of the last government by electing a Likud gov-
ernment, and still, Washington hasn't lowered

the boom, a fact demonstrated by Mr. Ne-
tanyahu's comfortable reception.
Therefore, Mr. Netanyahu shouldn't be shy
about doing the things he was elected to do:
lashing out against terrorists, spurning land-
for-peace talks with Syria, expanding settle-
ments, squashing Palestinian hopes for a
genuine state.
Their version of the positive spin is aimed
at convincing Mr. Netanyahu to use a heav-
ier foot in putting the brakes on the peace
process, now that it's clear he can deal with
leaders in Washington as an equal.

3. The Jewish left will start with the
same premise — that Bibi's visit was a
success — but draw very different con-
clusions.

Mr. Netanyahu romped in Washington,
they will say, because he has done nothing —
so far — to actually reverse a peace process
that the Clinton administration strongly fa-
vors.
But if he wants to preserve that chummy
mood, he must stick with the program craft-
ed by the defeated Labor government.
What they're hoping is that the allure of
playing to appreciative audiences on the Wash-
ington stage, and the prospects for a real
friendship with Mr. Clinton and Secretary of
State Warren Christopher, will help offset the
powerful domestic forces pulling Mr. Ne-
tanyahu in the opposite direction.
So they have to declare the Netanyahu mis-
sion a success — no doubt gritting their teeth
as they say it.

4. Mr. Clinton's spin effort will be sim-
plicity itself.

The president remains deeply committed
to full implementation of the Oslo Accords and
a final status process that will include —
among other topics — the future of Jerusalem.
But in the summer of 1996, a more imme-
diate problem is his re-election campaign, and
his desire to avoid new international crises
that could alienate key constituencies and re-
inforce Republican charges that he has mis-
managed foreign policy.
The spin will be that Mr. Clinton's clearly
stated preference for Shimon Peres during the
campaign was a mirage; this week's trip, ad-
ministration spinmeisters will say, shows that

the president can be pals with Bibi, as well,
an advertisement for his versatility as a world
leader.
That relationship may be difficult to sus-
tain in the long term, given the huge differ-
ences in approach to the Mideast peace
process. But the image of placid friendship
only has to last until November.

5. Mr. Netanyahu's spin job will be
more challenging.

The prime minister needs to demonstrate
that he can effectively manage U.S.-Israeli re-
lations. At the same time, he cannot afford any
hints that he is backing down from his hard-
line policies because of pressure from Wash-
ington.
Hence the spin from Jerusalem: Bibi was
tough and uncompromising, Likud flaks and
commentators will say, and still, he was wel-
comed like an old friend. What a guy.
Mr. Clinton and Mr. Netanyahu, both
shrewd politicians, probably got along fine
in their private Oval Office meetings. But even
if they hurled curses at each other, both have
a strong vested interest in spinning the visit
as warm and friendly.
Any positive announcements by Mr. Ne-
tanyahu — a proposal for a pullout from south-
ern Lebanon, for example — will be icing on
the cake.

6. The congressional spin, in a nutshell,
is this: Things are going great, so don't
bother us.

Politics rules in this summer before a crit-
ical election; the complications of Mideast af-
fairs are about as popular as head lice.
For legislators, the spin will emphasize Mr.
Netanyahu's proposed economic reforms, a
safe issue for members of Congress whose con-
fusion about where the American Jewish com-
munity stands on the peace process was
magnified by the ease with which most Jew-
ish organizations shifted gears to support the
Netanyahu government.
"The best thing for members to "do is avoid
issues relating to the peace process entirely,
and praise Bibi for being such a strong devo-
tee of free markets," said a congressional staffer
last week.
"Apple pie issues are especially tasty in elec-
tion years." Ell