Arafat Calls
The Shots

Positive Spin

Barak is good-humored, defiant in talks with U.S. Jewish leaders.

Klein Needles

At the first meeting, held in a
mirrored, glittery hotel confer-
ence room, the audience, per-
haps cautious not to antagonize
the Israeli premier, asked gener-
ally gentle, softball questions.
But Morton Klein, president
of the Zionist Organization of
America, demanded to know
what mandate the prime minis-
ter had for the concessions he
has been willing to make regard-
ing Jerusalem's religious sites
and historic quarters.
"I have a mandate through
the ballot, not the polls," Barak
responded, adding that he oper-
ates."not by weather vane, but
by inner compass." He had ear-
lier spoken of the "calculated
risks" he was ready to take to
achieve peace, but now, shaking
his fist as if banging an invisible
gavel, Barak declared, "There
will never be an Israeli leader
who will give up sovereignty
over the Temple Mount to the

MICHAEL J. JORDAN

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

New York

At a speaking
engagement in New York
with the Conference
of Presidents of Major
American Jewish
Organizations on
Sunday, Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Barak,
second from right, and
his wife Nava, right,
are greeted by Malcolm
Hoenlein, executive
vice chairman of the
conference of presidents,
left, and Ronald Lauder,
chairman of the
conference of presidents,
second from left.

(forts to arrange another peace
summit with Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat may have failed, but it
seems Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Barak did not leave New York completely
empty-handed.
After a round of meetings with world leaders
and regional powers at the United Nations
Millennium Summit, Barak and his delegation
were cheered by what they say is a palpable
shift in international opinion: in favor of Israel
and its willingness to "go the extra mile" in
negotiations with the Palestinians, and against
Arafat for his intransigence and inflexibility.
There is reportedly puzzlement and conster-
nation that Arafat continues to reject what is presumably
•
the best offer an Israeli leader can make.
Barak spoke twice to American Jews on Sunday: for 90
minutes to the Conference of Presidents of Major American
Jewish Organizations, then for another hour in a folksy
gathering of students, volunteers and professionals of the
United Jewish Appeal of New York.
Appearing upbeat and good-humored, he defended his
apparent willingness to compromise on Jerusalem, touted
his economic record, pledged to heal the yawning religious-
secular schism that plagues the Jewish state, and vowed to
fight if the opposition attempts ,to bring him down.

9/15
2000

Palestinians.
The statement drew loud applause, as it did
at the second gathering, when Barak repeated
it almost verbatim.
The second event, at UJA headquarters, was
held with Barak sitting on a bar stool, sur-
rounded by the crowd, in an American-style
town hall meeting.
Again, asked about the peace process, Barak
answered with a series of expressions tailored to
an American audience, like "It takes two to
tango" and "We'll leave no stone unturned."
The audience asked an array of questions, from
smoking-related deaths in Israel, to helping
raise the standard of living for Palestinians; to
uniting the various religious denominations.
Indeed, the pluralism issue was a hot
topic at both meetings.
While threatening to abolish Israel's Ministry
of Religious Affairs, Barak said he "never initiated a secular rev-
olution." Rather, he will work to create Israel's first constitu-
tion and a "modern, democratic state," while being sensitive to
and balancing the needs and traditions of Orthodox Jews.
"We do not intend to separate religion from the state," he
said. "We are more modest. We intend to separate religion
from politics."
However, when asked how he could be so optimistic about
even holding on to power, given the current political climate,
Barak countered: "I fought very hard to become prime minis-
ter. I do not intend to leave it easily" The UJA crowd gave
Barak three standing ovations. E

BY GIL SEDAN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Jerusalem
Vasser Arafat did it again.
Despite strong internal pres-
sures to declare independence on
Sept. 13, as he had promised to
do, the Palestinian Authority pres-
iderit this week convinced an advi-
sory body of the PLO, the
Palestinian Central Council, to
defer the declaration.
In the past, Arafat would say,
"Whoever does not like our deter-
mination to declare our state on
Sept. 13 can go drink the waters of
Gaza." This week, he and other
Pgestinian officials had to indulcre
in some verbal acrobatics to explain
the change of heart.
They argued that a Palestinian
state already, exists, thereby mak-
ing the need fOr a declaration less
than pressing.
During its two days of meetings
over the weekend in the Gaza
Strip, the Palestinian Central
Council gave Arafat the prerogative
to set the date for declaring inde-
pendence, 'depending on progress in
the negotiations" with Israel. The
council also decided "to begin the
process of building the sovereignty
of a Palestinian state" — including
setting up elections and working
toward membership in the United
Nations --- and said preparatory
COM M ittees would present their
reports on such issues to the coun-
cil no later than Nov: 15.
After the failure of the Camp
David summit in. July, Arafat made
the rounds of world capitals to drum
up support for a Palestinian state.
Nearly everywhere he went, Arafat
received the same message: Don't
take unilateral steps that could hurt
the peace process.
Given such reactions, Arafat
had little choice but to postpone
the declaration if he wanted the
peace process to continue, say
Israeli analysts.
Predictably, Palestinian opposi
tion groups reacted negatively to
the postponement of the statehood
declaration, but by and large it
appeared that the Palestinian public
is willing to give Arafat yet another
chance to play it his way.

