To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, June 15, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Tuesday, June 15, 1999 / Rosh Chodesh Tammuz 5759
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. GOVERNMENT NOT WIDE ENOUGH FOR LABOR
2. NRP HEADS MEET WITH PORAT AND HENDEL
3. SHARON WINS IN LIKUD; LANDAU ON TIBI'S BID
4. QUOTE: PALESTINIANS WANT ALL OR NOTHING
1. GOVERNMENT NOT WIDE ENOUGH FOR LABOR
Even a narrow 59-seat coalition government appears beyond the grasp of Ehud
Barak at this point. The NRP is apparently balking at being the only
religious party in the coalition (see next article), and is also demanding
the Education Ministry. NRP leader Rabbi Yitzchak Levy met with Barak this
afternoon. Yisrael B'Aliyah, the Centrist party, with six MKs each, demand
two ministerial appointments each; Barak has offered them one each.
Tension is mounting within the Labor party in anticipation of Ehud Barak's
ministerial appointments. If the government numbers only 66 MKs or less, he
does not intend to increase the number of ministers, thus leaving only five
portfolios for members of his own party. Of the five, two have apparently
already been assigned to MKs Shimon Peres and Dalia Itzik. According to
some reports, Barak apparently intends to divide the portfolios as follow:
Ehud Barak (Labor party, Prime Minister and Defense Minister);
David Levy (Gesher, Foreign Affairs);
Yossi Beilin (Labor, Finance);
Shlomo Ben-Ami (Labor, Education);
Yossi Sarid (Meretz, Justice);
an NRP representative (Transportation);
Yitzchak Mordechai (Centrist, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
Infrastructures);
Natan Sharansky (Yisrael B'Aliyah, Interior);
Yosef (Tommy) Lapid (Shinui, Communications);
Shimon Peres (Labor, Regional Development);
Rabbi Michael Melkior (Meimad, Minister without Portfolio).
Three other portfolios will be reserved for Shas or the Likud. Meretz
demands Housing for its second portfolio.
Shalom Yerushalmi, Ma'ariv's political commentator, told Arutz-7 that the
very difficult position in which Barak finds himself can be attributed in
part to the promises he made to Gesher and Meimad. "He could have won the
election handily without their help," said Yerushalmi. "His promise to
Shimon Peres also was a bit hasty. Now he stands helplessly with only
three portfolios to hand out to his own party." The commentator predicted
that Barak will likely choose Chaim Ramon, Yossi Beilin, and Shlomo Ben-Ami
as his ministers. "It's too bad for him that he became trapped in the
'Prime Minister of everyone' syndrome, because he could have formed this
same narrow government three days after the elections, without all the
complications and extra demands by the parties."
2. NRP HEADS MEET WITH PORAT AND HENDEL
Rabbi Yitzchak Levy and Rabbi Chaim Druckman of the NRP met this morning
with National Union MKs Chanan Porat and Tzvi Hendel. Former NRP Knesset
Member Nisan Slomiansky told an Arutz-7 reporter today that the National
Union members asked for the meeting in order to hear Barak's plans for
Yesha. Other reports say that the NRP seniors sought a National Union
pledge not to criticize the NRP should it decide to join Barak's
government. When reminded that a leading NRP Knesset Member had promised
during the election campaign that his party would not be the only religious
party in a Barak-government, Slomiansky said that at this point, he does
not see the NRP joining a 59-seat coalition.
Ha'aretz reported this morning that Barak promised the NRP that he would
not freeze construction in the new eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Har
Homa, nor will he cancel the Netanyahu government's plan to expand Ma'aleh
Adumim all the way to Jerusalem.
3. SHARON WINS IN LIKUD; LANDAU ON TIBI'S BID
Ariel Sharon won a decisive victory in the Likud Central Committee last
night when it decided to hold two sets of elections for Party Chairman over
the next two years. Internal elections for party head will be held in
September of this year, and additional elections for chairman and Prime
Ministerial candidate will be conducted in the summer of 2001. Sharon's
challengers, Ehud Olmert and Meir Sheetrit, withdrew their proposal for
only one election when it became clear that it would not pass.
Likud MK Uzi Landau told Arutz-7 today that the decision made by the Likud
last night was "the only logical one to make, since we cannot know today
who will be the appropriate [Prime Ministerial] candidate so far in
advance." Landau said that the two-year "breather" will give the
Likud a
chance to
"rediscover its lost ideological roots... Then we must learn how to bridge
the gap between this ideology and the current reality, so that the Likud
can be a new ideological and material home for the entire national camp,
which punished us in the recent elections."
As Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the
previous Knesset, Landau commented on new MK Ahmed Tibi's declaration today
that he intends to vie for a spot on the committee: "Anyone who is looking
to see the level to which the State of Israel has deteriorated, and the
extent to which it continues to lose its Zionist and national character,
need look no further than this," Landau said. "It is only his 'chutzpah'
and our foolish blindness that has permitted a PLO agent - someone who has
advised Yasser Arafat how to undermine the Zionist and Jewish foundations
of the country - to become an MK and to ask for access to a crucial Israeli
security forum... Someone like Tibi, who is a close confidante of Yasser
Arafat, surely knows that Arafat's Palestinian Authority is blatantly
anti-democratic and summarily mocks human rights. So he slips into the
Knesset, where the democratic State of Israel allows someone hostile to our
existence to use our democratic institutions as a podium for his agenda."
4. QUOTE: PALESTINIANS WANT ALL OR NOTHING
IMRA reports that Nabil Sha'ath, head of the Planning Department in the
Palestinian Authority, told Egypt's Al-Ahram newspaper last week, "There
can be no peace without a total end to settlements and the return of East
Jerusalem to Palestinian sovereignty as our capital. We are willing to
negotiate the terms regarding open borders between East and West Jerusalem,
but an agreement must be based on the premise that what was occupied in
1967 must be returned... We are not only against settlements being built
now, but also those that were built as long as 30 years ago."
***********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, June 16, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Wednesday, June 16, 1999 / Tammuz 2, 5759
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. SHAS ON ITS WAY INTO GOV'T, FOLLOWING DERI'S RESIGNATION
2. RELIGIOUS FRONT IN GOV'T
1. SHAS ON ITS WAY INTO GOV'T, FOLLOWING DERI'S RESIGNATION
Aryeh Deri's surprise resignation from all positions in the Shas party
has apparently paved the way for Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak to
form a broad coalition, but has caused consternation within Shas
itself. The party's Council of Torah Sages convened this afternoon to
discuss the objections by Shas' 17 MKs to Deri's resignation -
although Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef had already accepted the resignation
before the meeting. Barak is scheduled to meet with Shas spiritual
leader Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef in the latter's home as early as this
afternoon.
Deri, speaking before 10,000 Shas supporters in Tel Aviv last night,
announced that he feels he "must resign in order to enable a national
reconciliation." He will relinquish the title of Shas Chairman, but
will retain that of World Shas President, and will involve himself
with Shas' educational activities. Many of his supporters, including
Shas Knesset Members, broke down in tears at the statement.
Shinui's Tommy Lapid said that his party would not sit in the same
government with Shas in any event. It appears that Barak will now be
able to form a 77-seat coalition, including One Israel (26), Shas
(17), Meretz (10), Yisrael B'Aliyah (6), Center (6), NRP (5), UTJ (5),
and One Nation (2). However, Meretz is not sure that it will join.
The party announced that it still requires a "cooling-off" period to
see whether Deri's resignation is genuine, and MK Yossi Sarid said
today that there is only a "small chance" that Meretz will sit in the
government presented by Barak. Meretz MK Chaim Oron said today, "Let's
see what happens in the coming days and weeks until Barak presents his
government."
2. RELIGIOUS FRONT IN GOV'T
Political correspondents Yehoshua Mor-Yosef and Menachem Rahat talked
with Arutz-7 today about the Deri resignation and the
government-in-formation. Mor-Yosef noted that the coalition will
apparently be comprised of two blocs: "44 MKs are from center-left
parties that supported Barak in the elections, while 33 represent
center-right-religious parties. Shas, United Torah Judaism, and the
NRP will form a significant united religious front of 27 MKs who
oppose Barak's pledge to draft yeshiva students." NRP and UTJ
representatives met today, and reached an agreement on a united front
regarding the status of Yesha communities as well.
In addition to going to Rabbi Yosef's home - Labor party members had
been against this - Barak will have to reciprocate in yet more ways
for the high price paid by Shas [Deri's resignation], according to
Mor-Yosef. He added that other beneficiaries of Deri's decision will
be ministerial-hopefuls from Barak's own Labor party. "As a result of
the broad-based government that can now be formed, Barak will pass a
law to permit 24 instead of 18 ministers," thus rendering irrelevant
all the talk of ten senior Labor MKs vying for only three
appointments. "Incidentally, I don't think that Deri's resignation is
simply for show," offered Mor-Yosef. "If he is even photographed with
any of the Shas ministers, this will cause a government crisis with
Meretz. I think Deri understands this, and will keep his distance."
Menachem Rahat, author of a book on the Shas party, said that he
disagrees with Mor-Yosef's last point: "In my opinion, Deri and Shas
cannot be separated, and he will continue to pull the strings behind
the scenes." Rahat said that he has heard party sources considering
the possibility of forming a triumvirate to lead the party. "This
would be manned by Ministers Suissa and Yeshai, as well as MK Shlomo
Benizri, who will probably now become a minister as well," said Rahat,
"but Deri will still have a major say in running party affairs."
Rahat does not foresee an internal battle for the leadership of Shas
in the near future.
Another question that occupied the Arutz-7 airwaves today was whether
the National Religious Party - which enjoyed a major negotiating
advantage as the only religious party to conduct talks with One Israel
- had lost this advantage with Deri's resignation. NRP Knesset Member
Yigal Bibi - outgoing Deputy Religious Affairs Minister - said, "No,
this is a common mistake. We have not lost anything... Our 5 MKs are
still very important for One Israel. In any event, our value is not
only quantifiable, but lies rather in our ideological stance. We
stand for something that is very important for the government." He
said that he "was very impressed with the One Israel negotiators.
They took the issues very seriously, and came towards us in many
matters." Yehoshua Mor-Yosef said that in any event, the NRP would
not have been able to buck its voters and remain the only religious
party in a left-center government for more than a short time.
************************************************************************
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Thursday, June 17, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Thursday, June 17, 1999 / Tammuz 3, 5759
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. SHAS-ONE ISRAEL TALKS BEGIN
2. SHAS RANK-AND-FILE SADDENED BY DERI'S RESIGNATION
3. YESHA COUNCIL LOOKS FORWARD
4. SYRIA SAYS NO TO ARAFAT
1. SHAS-ONE ISRAEL TALKS BEGIN
As has been said and written countless times over the past two days,
the resignation of Shas leader Aryeh Deri has paved the way for Shas
to enter the coalition, and negotiations with Shas began at noon
today. Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak claims that his position
regarding drafting Yeshiva students has not changed. Shas
representative Sinai Gilbo'a stated that Shas insists on an acceptable
arrangement for the exemption of full-time yeshiva students from
military service, and an equal status in the government for Shas (17
Knesset seats) to that which the Likud (19) would have received.
Labor party Secretary-General Ra'anan Cohen, speaking with Arutz-7
today, agreed that Deri's official resignation is enough to permit the
inclusion of Shas in the coalition. He rejected claims that the
former Shas leader "will still be pulling the strings" from behind the
scenes: "Look, the Deri era has ended, and that's that. You cannot
exclude Shas from the government and thereby delegitimize all of its
voters." Cohen called upon Meretz leader MK Yossi Sarid to "climb
down from his very high tree" [from where he continues to threaten not
to join a coalition with Shas]: "It's in the self-interest of both
parties to join forces to achieve the ultimate goal of the Barak
government, namely, the promotion of national unity and the peace
process."
Cohen added that although Meretz and Shas will probably be able to
reach a compromise solution on the drafting of yeshiva students, the
two parties' respective positions may hinder the adoption of a
national constitution. Shas MK David Tal had different concerns on
this issue: "A special Constitutional court, representing a broad
cross-section of the Israeli populace, would have to be designated to
compose the document. This is essential in order to gain the public
trust. If the formulating body is comprised of a narrow elite, the
constitution will be nothing but a set of decrees by which the nation
cannot live." Regarding the yeshiva draft issue, Tal said, "Ehud
Barak now realizes that he cannot fulfill his pre-campaign promises of
enacting a law to draft yeshiva students into the IDF. We have
coordinated our position on this with the United Torah Judaism party."
Asked what would be Shas' price for entering the government, Tal said
that the party - which deserves four ministries, in proportion to its
17 MKs - will insist on the Interior and Labor ministries. News
Editor Asi Talmon interjected: "But Yisrael B'Aliyah has already
claimed the Interior Ministry." Tal responded, "With all due respect
to Yisrael B'Aliyah, without Shas' 17 seats, there would be no
coalition, but the loss of Yisrael B'Aliyah's 6 seats is not exactly
critical."
2. SHAS RANK-AND-FILE SADDENED BY DERI'S RESIGNATION
Many Shas activists are more bothered by Deri's resignation rather
than by the political consequences thereof. One of them, Moshe Nimny,
told Arutz-7 today that party supporters are still gripped by
disbelief with the resignation, "just as when the court convicted Deri
on charges of bribery... Even the Council of Torah Sages did not
fully digest the decision," Nimny stated. "They accepted it, but with
many qualifications - that he would continue to deal with
[educational] matters, that he continue to use his office, and that a
replacement would not be appointed... It was difficult for them to
accept it, and it is hard for all of us to accept it.
But it was a personal decision by Deri....Who are we to tell him and
his
family to continue to sacrifice his whole life for us? But he had had
it already. How much can a person take? Each newspaper had a daily
column reserved for him..." Nimny closed by promising that the
"anti-Deri" campaign of the Israeli media, political, and judicial
establishments would eventually boomerang. "Just as his wife said
yesterday, 'Whoever didn't want him in politics, will have him in the
field, working with the people instead. So instead of 17 MKs, we'll
get double that...' Mark my words," said Nimny, "He'll be another
Nelson Mandela. One day, Deri will be the Prime Minister of the State
of Israel..."
3. YESHA COUNCIL LOOKS FORWARD
In addition to Pinchas Wallerstein, Aharon Domb is also planning to
step down from his leadership position in the Council of Jewish
Communities in Judea and Samaria (the Yesha Council). The Council
will convene today to decide how its future composition will be
determined. In a parting speech to the One Israel/Yesha Executive
Board in New York earlier this week, Domb related to the stated
desires of Meretz and others to "review" the decisions made by the
Netanyahu government since December 1998:
"The Netanyahu government made some of its most important decisions
during
this period, and for better or worse, the Barak government must accept
these decisions [as part of the policy of continuing agreements made
by previous governments]. As one in daily contact with the National
Religious Party and Sharansky's Yisrael B'Aliyah, I can tell you that
if Barak chooses to challenge these decisions, they won't join the
government, and we will be in the forefront of fighting the new
government if it makes the mistaken decision to do so." Among these
decisions, Domb mentioned the Ma'aleh Adumim-Jerusalem connection, and
thousands of new homes to be built in Ariel and Kiryat Sefer. "We are
working towards open lines of communication with Ehud Barak, to tell
him that we are living in these areas because they are historically
ours and this is our land... The dream of Zion is alive, and in the
communities of Yesha our spirits are high. All of the biblical
homeland belongs to us, but wherever we live and hold bar mitzvahs and
britot (ritual circumcisions) - these are the places where [our rights
to the land have been realized]. Look at Hevron, and look at Shechem:
Because there are Jews in Hevron, one can walk through the town. Try
it in Shechem and you won't get out alive. Make no mistake about it,
in the future we will be judged for not settling every inch."
Domb mentioned a recent Peace Now poll, which found that 50% of Yesha
Jews would not leave their homes for financial compensation, while 13%
said they would leave only if there is a PLO state: "Life in Yesha is
difficult, but we are not ready to give up. I plan in the next few
weeks to commission a polling agency to ask residents of the Gush Dan
region [Tel Aviv, Netanya, etc.] how many of them would leave their
homes for compensation. I gather that many more of them would leave
than would our people... The struggle continues, and we are stronger
than ever before."
Domb said that the Council will be launching a educational campaign on
the importance of Yesha. "One of our failures throughout the years
has been the lack of education about the importance of our struggle.
We have a tendency to do things last minute, and now we will be
launching a major information campaign to spread the message that
'Yesha Ze Kan - Yesha is here' throughout the country... We plan on
linking people from the pre-1967 borders to Jews in Yesha... As I
prepare to step down from my position at the Yesha Council," said
Domb, "I want our supporters in the U.S. and throughout the world to
know that we will continue to expand and grow. Our way, the Jewish
way, will continue as it has for so many years and our direction will
continue with a clear vision. We need your help and look forward to
your continued support."
4. SYRIA SAYS NO TO ARAFAT
Yasser Arafat is not very welcome in Syria these days. A Jordanian
paper reports that Syria has turned down a request for an official
visit by Arafat - a visit that was announced with much fanfare by PA
senior Nabil Sha'ath. The PA Chairman even agreed to arrive only as
the head of the PLO and not of the Palestinian Authority, and that a
low-level representative would greet him - but the Syrians still
refused. Relations between Syrian President Assad and Arafat have
been tense ever since 1983, when Syrian forces attacked Palestinians
in Tripoli. Correspondent Haggai Huberman reports that the Oslo
Accords, which Assad considered a "separate peace" between the
Palestinians and Israel, did not contribute to the relations.
*******************************************************************
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, June 18,
1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Friday, June 18, 1999 / Tammuz 4, 5759
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
--- See below for subscription instructions ---
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. BARAK: THE PROS AND CONS
2. MORE ON NETANYAHU'S GOLAN TALKS
1. BARAK: THE PROS AND CONS
Outgoing Yesha Council head Pinchas Wallerstein warns the National
Religious Party against Ehud Barak's intentions in Judea and Samaria.
He said that Barak plans to remove some 60 Yesha communities.
Wallerstein said, however, that Yesha residents should not
independently "capture hilltops" without coordination with the Yesha
Council, because "if the struggle for the settlement enterprise is
conducted in a non-uniform manner, it will fail."
Barak himself is quoted in Ha'aretz today as follows: "The Golan has
a wonderful and important settlement enterprise, but it will not be
possible to make peace there without a compromise. Judea and Samaria
[however] is the birthplace of our history - it is more emotional, it
is something else." The Prime Minister-elect said, "I am moved to
tears when I stand on the northern slope of Mt. Eval [near Shechem],
in the place where Joshua erected his altar." He did not deny that he
would make concessions to the Palestinians in Yesha as well, but "not
places such as Beit El, Ofrah, and Ariel." He plans to erect a
50-kilometer long bridge to allow free passage to the Palestinians
between Gaza and Judea/Samaria.
2. MORE ON NETANYAHU'S GOLAN TALKS
The newest edition of the American weekly New Republic reveals more
details on the secret negotiations held between the Netanyahu
government and Syria regarding the Golan. Netanyahu reportedly agreed
to withdraw Israeli forces up to the international border several
meters east of the Kineret Sea - leaving a six-kilometer demilitarized
zone - and even apparently ceded on Israel's demand to establish
warning stations in the Golan. The magazine claims that objections by
then-Defense Minister Yitzchak Mordechai and Foreign Minister Sharon
prevented the signing of the agreement. Sharon said recently that it
was he who had put a halt to Netanyahu's negotiations with the
Syrians, in order to "prevent major territorial concessions."
Netanyahu himself said recently that the talks with Syria were broken
off because "Israel did not consent to Syria's territorial demands."
On the other hand, the New Republic also writes that it is Syrian
President Assad who is not interested in obtaining peace with Israel,
as he fears that this will lead to his fall from power. Assad will
continue to hold talks with Israel, but will always find a reason not
to sign an agreement, writes the New Republic's Daniel Pipes.
**********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, June 20, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Sunday, June 20, 1999 / Tammuz 6, 5759
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
--- See below for subscription instructions ---
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. MERETZ-SHAS TENSIONS
2. EMBASSY BILL OFFICIALLY WAIVED
1. MERETZ-SHAS TENSIONS
The coalition talks, already over a month old, will resume tomorrow,
with the issues of the Interior Ministry, the Education Ministry, and
that of the yeshiva-student draft at the forefront. Significant
progress has been made on the last of these in the talks between One
Israel and the hareidi parties. The exemption age will reportedly be
lowered from 31 to 24, enabling thousands of young men to leave
yeshivot and go to work legally without having to be drafted. United
Torah Judaism MK Rabbi Avraham Ravitz said that this was not a
"concession" by the hareidi parties, but rather an internal army
affair. "The media reports that the Sages 'agreed' to this are
ridiculous," Ravitz said. "What, the army asks us when to exempt
people from the army? If they want to lower the age from 31 to 24,
that's the army's prerogative. Of course, this may cause some
students to leave their yeshiva studies at an earlier age than they
may have otherwise, but obviously we're not going to ask the army to
retain the 31-year limit just so that students will remain in
yeshivot!" It was reported today - suspiciously-timed, according to
some - that the IDF was unable to find the money to draft 100,000 new
immigrants over the past few months.
Meretz has called off the talks it had scheduled today with One
Israel, in protest of Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef's remarks last night about
Aryeh Deri and his political enemies. The rabbi said that the "evil
ones" had demanded Deri's head, and that "in the eyes of G-d, Deri is
still the Chairman of Shas." Senior Shas members said today that
Rabbi Yosef was not referring to Barak or to One Israel, but rather to
those who created the hostile public atmosphere against Deri.
Correspondent Yehoshua Mor-Yosef says that the tensions between Shas
and Meretz are apparently just the beginning of that which can be
expected throughout the term of the government. The National
Religious Party, for its part, is ready to join the coalition on the
basis of the current guidelines. The party leadership has authorized
its negotiators to discuss with One Israel the distribution of
ministerial portfolios. No date has yet been set for this meeting,
however.
2. EMBASSY BILL OFFICIALLY WAIVED
American President Bill Clinton signed on Friday his official waiver
of the decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, declaring this
necessary "to protect the national security interests of the U.S."
Clinton wrote, "At a time when there is real potential for movement on
the peace process... the U.S. should not be taking steps of its own
that prejudice those negotiations and make them more difficult... Any
action to move the embassy during this period would prejudge the
outcome of those negotiations and deal the peace process a severe
blow."
Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority look optimistically towards
the future U.S. stance on Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Post reports that
Prime Minister Netanyahu's foreign-press aide, David Bar-Illan, said
he is certain the Clinton administration would eventually recognize an
undivided Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "This is the consensus in
Israel, which includes practically all the members of the new
government as well as the outgoing government. We are certain that the
administration will follow the lead of Congress," he said.
Assad Abdul-Rahman, a top PLO member, said, "We think this is... a
good sign that the Americans realize the sensitivities of the Palestinian
people and leadership as well as the Arab and Islamic world. We
definitely hope it's the start of the cancellation of the whole
project until we fully agree on Jerusalem as a final status issue."
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said, "We hope that Clinton will
say frankly that east Jerusalem is occupied land to which UN
resolution 242 applies."
Americans for Peace Now (APN) issued a statement praising President
Clinton for invoking his "national security waiver" on the issue. APN
President Debra DeLee said that if the U.S. had actually decided to
move its embassy to Jerusalem, "it would have poisoned the environment
on the eve of final status negotiations." In a related item, Clinton
informed New York Sen. Daniel Moynihan that the latter's proposal to
move the embassy at least temporarily to a Jerusalem hotel "can serve
as a useful basis for discussion and for possible future action."
Moynihan himself stated that, while Clinton has the authority to
exercise the waiver, "history will judge [him] as to whether his
actions were helpful to the process..." Other Senators were even more
critical, and some are considering an amendment to strip Clinton's
waiver authority and give him a maximum of one year to move the
embassy.
*************************************************************************