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security. And both sides•must live up
to the letter and the spirit of their
obligations."
That implied criticism of the
Netanyahu government came as offi-
cials in Jerusalem were sending up
trial balloons about a possible rede-
ployment from about 6 percent of the
remaining West Bank land, a balloon
quickly shot down by the Palestinians,
who had hoped for at least 20 percent.
The Clinton administration,
sources here say, now believes that
Netanyahu government policies are
hurting American interests in the
region. But events in Israel may make
it even harder for Mr. Netanyahu to
change course.
"The Iraq confrontation, where
administration people thought their
efforts were hurt by Israeli policy, and
Bibi's own political problems represent
a very dangerous mixture," said a
longtime pro-Israel activist here. "The
likelihood of an explosion in the next
few months is growing rapidly, since
Israeli politics will almost certainly
pull Bibi farther to the right."

Sharon Moves Up Ladder

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Photo by RNS/ Reuters

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As Mr. Netanyahu's star sinks inside
the administration, Infrastructure
Minister Ariel Sharon's may be on the
rise. Last week,
the former gen-
eral ended his
long exile from
official
Washington
with a White
House session
with national
security adviser
Sandy Berger.
High on the
agenda were
Arid Sharon pro-
Mr. Sharon's
posed status talks
with the
proposals for
accelerated final- Palestinians.
status talks with
the Palestinians, a topic that has been
much on the minds of the administra-
tion's Mideast team lately, and the
administration's insistence on some
visible gestures by the Israelis.
Administration and Israeli sources
confirm that the meetings went well
— and, indeed, that some officials
here now see Mr. Sharon, once regard-
ed as the ultimate hawk, as a force for
moderation and stability within the
chaotic Netanyahu government.
"The administration was well aware
of his role in restoring relations with
King Hussein [after the failed attempt
to kill a Hamas leader in Amman],"

said an Israeli source. "They were veryiD
interested in his ideas regarding securi-
ty and some interim solutions. Here is
a guy who has been demonized, but
now he's seen in the administration as
someone they can deal with."
Messrs. Sharon and Berger also dis-
cussed last week's confrontation with
Iraq and Israel's growing concern with
the missile threat posed by Iran.
Also last week, Meir Dagan, Mr.
Netanyahu's counter-terrorism adviser,
came to town to challenge the recent
State Department action removing
Syria from the list of nations support-
ing the international drug trade.
Mr. Dagan, sources here say,
brought reams of evidence that Israeli
officials say shows continuing drug
cultivation and commerce by Syria.
He reportedly told the Americans that
the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, which is
under Syrian control, continues to be
a major source of drugs, and that new
facilities have been constructed in
Syria to enhance that country's status
as a processor of drugs cultivated in
other parts of the world.
In private, Israeli officials suggest
that the State Department decision
was made mostly for political and
diplomatic reasons. But administra-
tion officials continue to argue that
their decision was based solely on the
fact that Syria had met the minimum
requirements for getting off the list,
although they say the State
Department will continue to monitor
the Syrian drug connection closely.

AIPAC Rated No. 2 Lobby

Anti-Israel groups have long com-
plained that the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee is one of the most
powerful groups in Washington, and
now it's official: the current issue of
Fortune magazine rates AIPAC as the
second most powerful lobby in the cap-
ital.
That appeared to delight officials of
the pro-Israel lobby group, even though
they generally seek to avoid the lime-
light.
In a poll of political activists con-
ducted by a team of Democratic and
Republican pollsters, AIPAC was listed
as second only to the American
Association of Retired Persons.
AIPAC, which Fortune called "calcu
latedly quiet," beat out the AFL- CIO
(No. 3), the National Rifle Association
(No. 6) and the Christian Coalition
(No. 7).
The story touched a raw nerve when

LOBBY

on page 43