Word: arabism
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Reagan has ample reason for caution. The Administration's 1982 Middle East peace plan, which called for Palestinian self-government on the West Bank and Gaza Strip in association with Jordan, was peremptorily rejected by Israel and manhandled by indecisive Arab countries. Washington's well-intentioned attempts to make peace in Lebanon led to the deaths of 267 American servicemen and ended in the mortifying withdrawal of U.S. troops early last year. For the past 13 months, U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East has essentially been on hold. The tragedies in Lebanon had resulted in a vague policy known...
While the newest Arab initiatives imply an awakening sense of responsibility, they leave unresolved a number of critical issues. The Hussein-Arafat agreement suggested that a Jordanian-Palestinian team, selected by the two leaders, be empowered to negotiate with Israel and the U.S. in a U.N. conference. Reagan indicated last week that the U.S. might meet with such a delegation if that would further direct negotiations with Israel. But no meeting could include members of the P.L.O., with which the U.S. and Israel refuse to bargain. Hussein and Arafat also endorsed a confederation of Jordan and a Palestinian state...
...surprise trip to Iraq where he urged President Saddam Hussein to join the peace process. After years of taking a hard-line stand against negotiations with Israel, Iraq appears to be changing its tune. Iraq's President wants his country to be in the mainstream of the Arab world and not to be linked with the likes of Libya and Syria. "In the past," says a Western ambassador in Baghdad, "one could expect Iraq to have its own agenda. Any compromise with Israel was unacceptable. Now, Iraq will not stand...
While the three Arab leaders met in Baghdad, Jordanian Foreign Minister Taher Masri was in Washington urging Shultz to embrace the new Arab initiative. He got little more than vague promises of "support and cooperation" from Shultz, who indicated he might meet with Masri and Egypt's foreign minister sometime in the next two months. Warned Masri: "This may be the last chance. The future will only be good for the fanatics and the extremists...
...crucial question is Israel's attitude. So far the Arab initiatives have not "gone far enough to galvanize a positive Israeli response," says one U.S. official. As the leader of a fragile coalition government, Peres may have trouble bargaining with the Arabs. The conservative Likud adamantly opposes territorial exchange, which for some is the basic coin of the peace negotiations. Peres and his Labor Party are not now in a position to dominate the Likud or ease it out of power in new elections. The U.S., however, supports the Prime Minister's approach to the Arab overtures. "He has been...