Bibi's Blunder
Erodes Credibility

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu couldn't have picked
a better way to alarm and anger officials in Washington
than the botched assassination attempt against- a Hamas leader in Jordan.

JAMES D. BESSER

Washington Correspondent

T

he bungled attempt to kill
Khaled Meshal, political
leader of Hamas, threat-
ened Israel's relations with
Jordan, strengthened Hamas and
badly undercut administration
attempts to force Yassir Arafat to dis-
mantle the terrorist infrastructure in
Gaza and the West Bank, in the view
of officials in Washington.
Worse, the bizarre sequence of
events, which resulted in Israel's
release of Hamas founder Sheik
Ahmed Yassin and dozens of other
Palestinian prisoners, added to
already widespread suspicions in
Washington about Mr. Netanyahu's
judgment and competence.
"It reinforces the views of some in
the administration about
[Netanyahu's] judgment, his compe-
tence and his commitment," said Jess
Hordes, Washington director for the
Anti-Defamation League. "That's
very unfortunate."
Damage control with Jordan was
the administration's first priority.
State Department spokesman
James Rubin stressed that "one of our
major concerns has been to protect
Jordanian-Israeli relations, which
remain a cornerstone of the peace
process."
He didn't need to add that Jordan's
King Hussein, whose effort to limit
the influence of Hamas in his coun-
try was damaged by the assassination
attempt, remains the only major
Mideast player who now enjoys warm
relations with President Clinton and
Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright.
Crown Prince Hassan made a
secret trip to Washington to brief
administration officials, including
Mr. Clinton and Ms. Albright, about

tion away from disagreements
between Washington and Jerusalem,
but that doesn't alter the fact that the
Iranian missile program is a very
scary development," said an analyst
for a Jewish group that supports the
Mideast peace process. "Maybe it's
getting more attention now because
AIPAC [the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee] and Netanyahu
want a distraction, but that is not
necessarily a bad thing because more
and more pieces of the puzzle are
coming together."
The overall pattern, analysts agree,
depicts a rapidly growing threat to
the Jewish state and a drastic change
in the Mideast balance of power that
threatens friendly Arab states as well.
Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice
chair of the Conference of Presidents
of Major American Jewish
Organizations, rejected the notion
that the heat has been turned up on
the Iran issue to protect Israel from
Khalid Mashaal, chief of the political bureau of Hamas, is interviewed following a
American criticism.
hospital stay resulting from the assassination attempt.
"Contrary to what some are say-
ing,
this is not tied in any way to the
the
strong
U.S.
effort
to
get
Mr.
Israel's culpability in the assassination
peace
process," he said. "It's some-
Arafat
to
defang
Hamas,
an
effort
attempt, and suggest that only quick
thing we've been working on for
even Mr. Netanyahu conceded was
American intervention could keep
years, but now there is more and
showing signs of success.
Jordanian-Israeli relations from
more evidence of direct Russian
That, they said, cannot help but
unraveling entirely.
involvement in supplying Iran. The
impede
a
peace
process
that
.is
already
The administration responded
problem
has become much more
hanging
by
a
slender
thread.
with what one observer called "some
immediate;
the fact is we're now fac-
very blunt, very stern messages to the
ing
a
deadline."
Israeli government."
Missiles: Danger Or
Jewish groups, he said, are pursu-
"Jeopardizing relations with Jordan
Distraction?
ing
two tracks with the administra-
is inexplicable," said a longtime
tion.
Is it a diversion from the tensions
Mideast analyst. "Logic dictates that
"First, we need to deal with the
between Washington and Jerusalem,
a failed attempt would do that. So
immediate
issue of the transfer of
or
an
accurate
reflection
of
a
grave
even if you accept the basic premise
technology
from Russia," he said.
new
danger
in
the
Middle
East?
— that Israel has a right to pursue
"Then,
we
think
it's very important
Intensifying
efforts
by
Israeli
repre-
terrorist leaders wherever they are —
for
the
administration
and Congress
sentatives
and
pro-Israel
groups
to
get
this entire affair smacks of faulty
to
look
in
a
more
general
way at how
Washington
to
take
stronger
action
to
judgment."
to
maintain
sanctions
and
how to
slow
Iran's
quest
for
long-range
mis-
And administration officials pri-
enlist
our
allies."
siles
are
both,
sources
say.
vately said that the Mossad foul-up
The Iran missile question and the
"The issue may have a certain con-
and the resulting release of Hamas
Moscow
connection were at the top
venience
in
terms
of
drawing
atten-
prisoners by Israel made a mockery of

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