Gir o\,, JERUSALEM page 130 JEWISH BUSINESS EXCHANGE DET ROIT to serve as an honest broker. More and more, it is evident that the Israeli-Palestinian talks re- quire strong American interven- tion as a mediator and as a source of new ideas to bridge the huge gaps between the two sides. To play that role, Washington needs to be regarded by both sides as fair. That doesn't neces- sarily mean that officials here have to match each gesture to the Israelis with an equal nod to the Palestinians, but it does mean that Washington can't be seen as taking Israel's side on the most important issues in the negotia- tions before they are thrashed out in bilateral sessions. And the most important issue, the deal breaker of deal break- ers, is Jerusalem. THE JEWISH NEWS Present Megan Norris Attorney Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone "Hiring & Firing Without Fear" Tuesday, May 20 • 7:30 a.m. Franklin Raquet Club • 29350 Northwestern Hwy. 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For information or referral, call the Federation Resource Line, (248) 967-HELP (4357); Federation (248) 967-0460 TT Resource (Text Telephone for people who are deaf or Line have hearing impair- ments) (248) •• • • • • • • • • • • 967-HELP TT: 967-0460 A program of the --- Fax: 967-2967 Jewish Federation of A Jewish Information Metropolitan Detroit and Referral Service *Save 3 Ways... ,t46e4t441 •Free Slide • Generous Allowance on Installation •2% Frequent Buyer Gift Certificate *On our best selling packages. V SOLDER I SHOP (Save up to $467during May.) Michigan's Best Selection of Backyard Play Structures. 3947 W 12 Mile Berkley, Michigan (810) 543-3115 Models on display Mon.-Sat. 10-5:30 • Fri. 10 - 8 Send Someone Special A Gift 52 Weeks a Year. Send a gift subscription to THE JEWISH NEWS (810) 354-6620 For U.S. diplomats who have invested enormous energy in the faltering Middle East peace talks, Jerusalem represents a world- class monkey wrench. That's the reason the Clinton administration opposed legisla- tion requiring the embassy move by 1999 and ultimately let it be- come law without the president's signature; that's the reason the State Department has not moved to implement the law. The issue becomes even more complex because of the different motives of those who push the cause of Jerusalem in this coun- try. Many support issues such as the embassy move because of the deep resonance of the city and its rich symbolism in Jewish life. But others do it out of a right-wing strategy that sees raising the is- sue as the surest way of destroy- ing a peace process they despise. Politicians play the Jerusalem card because they believe in the cause -- or because it's a sure-fire way of winning approval from pro-Israel campaign contributors. Washington has responded to this churning mess by continuing its policy of promoting the status quo on Jerusalem. It is doing nothing to suggest an American position on the issue before it reaches the final-status table, even though the outcome of that process is not hard to predict: an undivided Jerusalem under Is- raeli control. Despite critics on the right, leading members of the adminis- tration's Mideast team accept Is- rael's right to the city as its capital. Unlike an earlier era when "Arabists" dominated the State Department, there are few today who would welcome a re- division of the city, or the kind of self-serving, unworkable in- ternationalization that Christian groups continue to advocate. But turning that belief into overt American policy before the issue is negotiated by the Israelis and Palestinians would severe- ly limit Washington's ability to serve as a broker in the fragile, critical peace process. Mainstream Jewish groups that press for a stronger U.S. recognition of Jerusalem's status as Israel's capital are in many cas- es acting on age-old religious and cultural imperatives; it's hard to imagine them doing anything else. But the administration, which is responsible for guiding Amer- ican policy through this high- stakes, high-risk peace process, is acting on the imperative of pre- serving negotiations that are deemed vital to American inter- ests in the region. That means more fence-sitting and more straddling on Jerusalem, no matter how angry it makes the Jews and no matter how indignant it makes the self- proclaimed defenders of the city in the House and Senate. Ili Violent Attitudes Palestinian support for terror is up, but experts say it's still reversible. ERIC SILVER ISRAEL CORRESPONDENT I he Palestinian Authority had a resounding propa- ganda success recently in convincing 134 countries at the United Nations to de- nounce Israeli construction at the disputed Har Homa site in Jerusalem. But lasting joy is fleeting at the quasi-govern- ment's offices these days. That's because they know that the United States — which joined Israel and Micronesia as the only three votes against the resolution — remains their best bet to bring Israel Prime Minis- ter Binyamin Netanyahu back to the negotiating table. "We know it's cheaper for them to pressure us than pres- VIOLENT page 134 r/