Word: baraker
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Pass the rabbis some (political) pork and Israel's political "crisis" would be resolved in a flash. But with Washington pushing hard for concessions from both sides to secure an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal before President Clinton leaves office, it may actually suit Ehud Barak to be seen as on the ropes for a while longer. Barak's government faces collapse on Thursday, when the resignations of four cabinet members from the ultra-religious Shas party take effect. But the religious party, which mainly represents orthodox Jews who emigrated to Israel from the Arab world, isn't balking...
...Although disproportionate concessions to a vocal religious minority may stick in the craw of Barak and his secular supporters, the prime minister is unlikely ultimately to allow his government to fall rather than pay up. But as last-minute negotiations continue to avert a walkout of the second largest party in his coalition - which would ostensibly force him into a minority government, an alliance with the hawkish Likud party or a new election - Barak is playing the beleaguered dove. His finance minister, Avraham Shohat, insisted Tuesday that the issues Shas is raising have been resolved. "They did not resign over...
...Barak and Arafat agreed. If a deal is going to be hatched, they know that Washington will have to broker it. And both men believe that Clinton is the best arbiter they've had in these talks. The incoming president - no matter if he's George W. Bush or Al Gore - are both unknown quantities and it will take them months to get up to speed on the Middle East. Fail to reach a treaty now, and the window will be closed for a long time...
...both men agreed to send their top negotiators to Washington this coming week, where they'll try to make headway on hammering out a framework for a peace deal. Barak and Arafat have set Sept. 13 as the deadline for having a final treaty with all the details filled in. Arafat also will fly to Washington on Wednesday for some cajoling by Clinton...
...deal be hatched before the Clinton administration turns out the lights? Arafat is under tremendous pressure from Palestinian hard-liners not to compromise and Barak is having to struggle just to hold together his unruly coalition government. Clinton stays publicly optimistic. But his top aides say privately that the odds are less than...