Washington Watch'

Treaty Talks

Clinton sets summit parlay for next week.

JAMES D. BESSER

Washington Correspondent

1p

resident Bill Clinton has
officially invited Israeli and
Palestinian leaders to Camp
David next week for the
first of several summits intended to
hammer out the framework for a final-
status treaty before a Sept. 13 dead-
line.
Saying negotiations have reached an
"impasse," Clinton said the objective
of the meeting is to reach agreement
on the "core issues."
"I have concluded this is the best
way-indeed, the only way — to move
forward," Clinton said on Wednesday.
Referring to the symbolism of a
return to Camp David, where Israel
and Egypt worked out their historic
peace accord in 1978, Clinton said
that he hopes "the setting will serve to
inspire" the two sides.

Related editorial: page 33

The summit was called despite
continued resistance to the idea of
an intensive Camp David-style ses-
sion from Palestinian leader Yasser
Arafat. In recent weeks, Prime
Minister Ehud Barak has joined the
administration in pressing for a
summit. But Arafat, concerned that
Washington and Jerusalem would
work together to press him to accept
concessions, has resisted.
Officials close to the negotiations
say that gaps between the sides are
Yasser Arafat
larger than the administration would Ehud Barak
have preferred before a meeting of
top leaders. A recent shuttle mission
work," said Mark Rosenblum, political
tion has led to warnings from
by Secretary of State Madeleine
director of Americans for Peace Now
Jerusalem
that it could lead to annexa-
Albright failed to narrow those differ-
"But the risks are even greater of
tion
and
an
effective end of the peace
ences.
doing nothing at this stage. A whole
process.
But concern about the growing
set of issues could be put at risk by the
Clinton spoke to Barak and Arafat
likelihood of a clash over a unilateral
absence of intervention."
several
times over the long holiday
Palestinian statehood declaration led
On Monday, the PLO Central
weekend
and pressed the need for a
to the U.S. decision to call a summit
Council passed a resolution calling for
summit.
The
White House announced
despite the risk of failure.
a declaration on Sept. 13, although
that
both
have
accepted the invitation
"There are costs to Clinton of hav-
observers say that date could be flexi-
to a summit. ❑
ing egg on his face if a summit doesn't
ble. The threat of a unilateral declara-

.

Peace Pressures

Political posturing takes hard aim at derailing talks with the Palestinians.

JAMES D. BESSER

Washington Correspondent

A

s the Clinton administration increased the
pressure on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat
to attend a series of summits starting later
this month, opponents of the peace process
intensified their activities as well.
The goal: to generate a congressional counterforce
to derail efforts to reach an Israeli-Palestinian final
status deal before mid-September.
Capitol Hill continues to reverberate with the
impact of a letter from 20 current and past Jewish
leaders supporting Knesset member Natan
Sharansky's call for caution in moving forward on the
Palestinian track.
Last week, a longtime activist with the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) was
removed from his post as chair of the lobbing group's
executive committee as punishment for signing the
letter, which was circulated by Zionist Organization
of America President Morton Klein.

This week, a former AIPAC executive director who
signed the letter asked that his name be removed
when it is published in newspapers here and in Israel.
"I am very concerned this letter has been used for
purposes I had no intention of supporting," said Neal
Sher, who served as the government's top Nazi hunter
before his tenure as AIPAC executive director. "I'm
terribly concerned people will use this to lobby
against Israel and against the peace process."
But another signer said his participation reflected-
the frustrations of many American Jews.
Rabbi Seymour Essrog, the immediate past presi-
dent of the Rabbinical Assembly and a longtime
peace process supporter, said he now fears Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Barak "is giving away the whole
shop while the Arabs are getting more abrasive. I'm
getting a little fed up with this whole business."
Also last week, leaders of Americans for a Safe
Israel (AFSI) were on the Hill with four dissident
Knesset members trying to galvanize opposition to
what the group says is President Bill Clinton's pres-
sure on Israel to make "concessions for the sake of a

fraudulent 'peace' that could be suicidal for the Jewish
state."
Member of the Knesset Michael Kleiner, leader of
the delegation, told lawmakers that "friends don't
bribe friends to commit suicide."
AFSI is looking for a sponsor for a letter to
President Clinton expressing concern about a possible
Israeli-Palestinian summit and insisting that the issues
of Palestinian refugees and Jerusalem be taken off the
table before serious negotiations begin.
But Herbert Zweibon, AFSI president, said the
"shadow of AIPAC and the (Israeli) embassy" has
made lawmakers wary of sponsoring the letter.

Genetic Discrimination

Jewish women's groups pushing legislation outlawing
discrimination in health insurance and employment
based on genetic testing were sandbagged last week
when the Senate unexpectedly took up a measure
they favored —and then, just as abruptly, gutted it.
The vote came when lawmakers suddenly decided
to take up a genetic discrimination measure by Sen.

7/7

2000

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