srae Brigilitorizon D On the eve of a new year, Israel's prime minister discards the headlines and offers a confident interview to the Diaspora Jewish media. INA FRIEDMAN AND LARRY DERFNER ISRAEL CORRESPONDENTS espite what the headlines might sug- gest, early this week things were looking good to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Speaking with representatives of the Jewish media in the Diaspora, he drew an encouraging picture of the unity of Israeli society, his handling of the peace process, and the basic resilience of the religious "sta- tus quo." The prime minister, customarily dressed in a black suit, seemed fully relaxed and fo- cused on the questions at hand. He start- ed by offering a friendly jibe at the media, even dropping a Yiddish expression. He also spoke confidently of Israel's abil- ity to prevail over political violence from within. Speaking of the recent death threats made against Supreme Court President Aharon Barak, the prime minister reiter- ated his resolve to use "the full force of the law" against the perpetrators. "I simply will not tolerate a climate of lawlessness and a climate of threats," he declared. But when asked if this climate, 10 months after Yitzhak Rabin's assassina- tion, signaled deeper distress in Israeli so- ciety, he said: "It's overblown to describe [Israel] as a violent culture ... We've had our share of aberrations ... but I don't think the divisions in Israeli society are deeper or stronger than the forces which unite us." Mr. Netanyahu also sought to allay the fears of Conservative and Reform Jews in the United States that the "status quo" on religious affairs was eroding due to the strength of the Haredi and modern-Ortho- dox parties in his government. 'We are not going to change the arrange- ments that have been arrived at over the last half century," he said. The prime minister described the modus vivendi between the Orthodox and secular sectors of Israel's society as a "slowly evolv- ing" construct. "You can have films on Sat- urday in one part of the country and a closure of a street in another, depending on demographic shifts. That is essentially what has been happening — an ad hoc arrange- ment between the secular and haredi com- munities." He also reiterated the position he ex- plained to visiting Reform rabbis before be- coming prime minister. "Any attempt to impose an overall principle of reordering society is something that we agreed will have explosive consequences," he said. Of course, he could not get away from the issue of the day — negotiations with the Palestinian Authority and its leader, Yassir Arafat. Monday morning's headlines de- scribed the long-awaited meeting be- tween Messrs. Netanyahu and Arafat as "imminent." When asked if he were pressuring the Palestinian leader too hard, there- by endangering his standing, Mr. Ne- tanyahu turned the focus back on Mr. Arafat. "I don't think the Israeli gov- ernment is Arafat's first problem," he said. "His first problem is his own gov- ernment ... the management of Pales- tinian society." Economic hardships endured by the Palestinians due to the closure on the territories, he added, are a direct result of the PA's failure to undertake deep commitments on security. Early this week, the sticking point in getting Israeli-Palestinian negotiations moving again was still the IDF's rede- ployment in Hebron. In Gaza that day, Mr. Arafat reiterated that the Oslo II agreement must be honored without changes. But Mr. Netanyahu was equally firm on the need to revise the Hebron agreement. "We've talked about modifications of security safeguards so that the Jew- ish community in Hebron can live rel- Binyamin Netanyahu finds things looking up in Israel. atively normal and secure lives," he explained. Jerusalem, he reiterated, is not a mat- "Just imagine what would happen if we ter for the negotiating table. had terrorist attacks in Hebron, which is Above all, Mr. Netanyahu seemed con- the juncture of the most politically sensi- fident that despite steady criticism from tive communities — indeed, radical com- the opposition on his peace process poli- munities — on both the Jewish and cies, the right and left were not far apart. Palestinians sides," he said. "If we started "When I talk to groups that ostensibly having terrorist attacks on one side, it could support a Palestinian state, as I did last quickly escalate into violent exchanges that week in Tel Aviv, they invariably say: 'Oh could scuttle the entire peace process." yes, we support it, but it cannot have an Syrian negotiations were on the back army of 150,000 men; it cannot have tanks burner this week, but Mr. Netanyahu and planes or rockets to threaten us; it delved into his thoughts about the Golan cannot bring in 2 million refugees on the Heights. Would he relinquish no territo- outskirts of Tel Aviv or Jerusalem; it can- ry there in return for peace with-Syria? not control the airspace; and it cannot The prime minister indicated that his siphon our water from our aquifer.' maximalist position essentially matched "In other words, they [favor] severe in- Syrian President.Hafez el-Assad's. "I see hibitions that normally do not cohere with no reason why I should enter the negoti- sovereignty," he said. "We're dealing here, ations with Syria on a different footing perhaps, with an interesting semantic dif- from President Assad," he said. "But I am ference between the rival camps in Israel." prepared to have discussion on the full But in terms of substance, the prime range of matters, and in those discussions minister added, "When you speak to most Syria will be able to bring to the table its Israelis, you will find that they have views various territorial demands. This is not similar to my own about the shape of the something we have ruled out." final settlement:" ❑ LO CT) T - CD CC w LU LU CO 81