Washington Watch
Peace Map
Burns' Mideast trip and peace plan is not as dead as the criticism.
notice that Bush plans to pursue the
Missouri race colored by the death of
entire proposal, not just the parts
another Senate candidate two years
Israeli leaders favor, Cohen said.
ago, could have a big impact on the
Sharon accepts Bush's demand for
he ink wasn't even dry on
upcoming lame-duck session of
an end to Yasser Arafat's Palestinian
Congress, when lawmakers will make
the draft U.S. "road map"
rule, Cohen said. "But does he accept
for creation of a Palestinian
critical budget decisions that could
the rest — which describes the process
affect Israel and a wide range of social
state before Israeli Prime
by which the Israeli occupation will be
Minister Ariel Sharon and his
service programs vital to the Jewish
replaced by a democratic Palestinian
community.
Palestinian adversaries greeted it with
state? And if so, does he understand
derision.
The big question: who will represent
how that will happen, and when?"
This week, U.S. Assistant Secretary
Minnesota during the special session,
The unveiling of a new U.S. road
of State William Burns completed his
scheduled to begin on Nov. 12? Gov.
map, Cohen said, will make it harder
swing through the region to explain
Jesse Ventura, an independent, is
for Sharon to selectively interpret Bush's expected to announce an interim
the plan, and there were few hints of
plans. "The president's speech was sup-
optimism in Washington as officials
appointment shortly after the Nov. 5
posed to be the great triumph of
monitored the flurry of negative sto-
elections.. If the winner is former Vice
Sharon's approach; now, with this clari-
ries that followed him from capital to
President Walter Mondale, Wellstone's
fication by the administration, Sharon
capital.
likely replacement on the Democratic
discovers that the speech doesn't seem
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon,
ticket, Ventura will almost certainly
facing new chaos in his fractious unity to mean what he thought," Cohen said. appoint Mondale or some other
The new Bush road map calls Democrat to fill the remaining weeks
government, told a Knesset
for an international peace con-
of the term.
committee on Monday that he
ference a year from now, the
But what if the winner is former St.
accepts the broad principles of
creation of an interim
the plan, but not many of its
Paul Mayor Norm Coleman, the GOP
Palestinian state shortly there-
details. Specifically, the Israeli
challenger? If Coleman wins, Ventura
after and an effort to reach a
will be under strong pressure to
leader demands comprehensive
final settlement by 2005.
Palestinian security reforms as
appoint him, or another Republican.
The three-stage plan also
And that could tilt the balance to the
a precondition for moving for-
calls for the dismantlement of
ward with the plan and an end
GOP in a Senate that became evenly
William
settlement outposts created
to terrorism.
split between Democrats and
Burns
since the start of the Sharon
Palestinian officials com-
Republicans with Wellstone's death.
government. All of that, Cohen
plained that the road map
Another lame-duck complication is
in Missouri, where Sen. Jean
wasn't detailed enough, and that it was said, will force Sharon to reveal posi-
being pushed only halfheartedly by the tions that he tried to keep cloudy. "It
Carnahan, a Democrat, is locked in a
is my perspective that the road
Bush administration as a way of keep-
close race with Rep. Jim
map is becoming a much more
Talent, a Republican.
ing Arab nations in line as it prepares
significant document because it
for war against Iraq.
Carnahan was appointed to
is being greeted with such
"The key was-the fact that they sent
take the place of her husband,
enthusiastic opposition," he
Burns, and not someone with more
who was elected in 2000 even
said.
stature," said a leading pro-peace
though he was killed in a plane
Officials in Washington say
accident only days before the
process activist this week. "This plan
the administration was not dis-
election.
will join all the other discarded
couraged by the negative reac-
American plans, because the adminis-
If Carnahan loses, Talent
Jesse V entura
tion to the Burns mission; a
tration wasn't serious in the first
would take over immediately,
more senior State Department
place."
since this is technically a spe-
official will be sent to the
cial election. And that could
But Ariel Sharon knows better,
region to pitch the plan in several
according to a top Mideast expert.
also affect this month's lame-duck ses-
weeks, and a final version could be
sion, giving the Republicans one more
Stephen P. Cohen, an analyst for the
drafted by December.
Israel Policy Forum who has traveled
Senate vote.
extensively in the region in recent
The stakes are potentially enormous.
Congress has passed only two of 13
months, said the Bush plan matters a
Important Votes
great deal because it will make it hard-
spending bills; to keep the government
running, returning lawmakers will
er for Sharon to misinterpret the presi- Last week's tragic death of Sen. Paul
Wellstone, D-Minn., in a plane crash
have to pass the others, or unite them
dent's June 24 speech, which set the
threw the Minnesota senate race into
U.S. on a course to support
into an omnibus spending bill.
disarray and added a new element of
"An omnibus bill is always a big
Palestinian statehood.
uncertainty to the too-close-to-call
risk," said a prominent Jewish activist.
The new road map puts flesh on the
battle for control cf the U.S. Senate.
"Stuff gets thrown in, pulled out, and
president's speech calling for a
And Wellstone's death, along with a
it takes months before people under-
Palestinian state, and puts Israel on
JAMES D. BESSER
Washington Correspondent
T
stand exactly what money was appro-
priated and what wasn't."
Of special concern to Jewish
activists: $200 million in supplemental
aid for Israel tucked into the House
version of the foreign aid appropria-
tions bill, and spending for a number
of health and human service programs.
Kosher Response
Downtown Washington has a lot of
attractions, but fine kosher dining is
not one of them. That's a problem for
the burgeoning army of observant
Capitol Hill staffers, lobbyists, admin-
istration officials and other federal
workers who face hunger and depress-
ing bag lunches as they do business.
Enter Jack Abramoff, one of the
city's top lobbyists and pal to the
GOP conservative elite. Abramoff,
who toils for the power firm of
Greenberg Traurig, was tired of not
having a nice place to bring clients for
lunch. And he was sick of listening to
one of the most persistent complaints
of Jewish Washingtonians: "Why does-
n't this town have a decent deli?"
In the next few weeks,
Washingtonians will get a taste of
Abramoff's response: two new glatt
kosher restaurants using a single
kitchen, only a few blocks from the
Capitol, in a building that once
housed a Planet Hollywood.
"Stacks" will be an "upscale New York
deli," the conservative lobbyist said.
"'Archives' will be fine American cuisine."
For Abramoff, the logic of becoming
a restaurateur was simple. "There's a
growing kosher consumer clientele
that needs a nice place to eat, and
there just wasn't anything available,"
he said.
His market research also pointed to
one of the great deficiencies of the
capital: the lack of a decent deli.
"It became abundantly clear that
everybody — kosher and non-kosher
consumers — wanted a real New York
deli," he said.
Abramoff said the twin restaurants
promise to become genuine gathering
places for Jewish politicos in town,
and he promised even to serve liberals.
Jewish observers said they won't be
surprised to see Orthodox activists
using the restaurant to entertain GOP
bigwigs like House Majority Leader
Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and Attorney
General John Ashcroft, both among
Abramoff's pals.
"Stacks" is tentatively scheduled to
open Nov. 11, pending resolution of
some issues with kosher certification
authorities. ❑
11/1
2002
31