Word: shamir
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...nevertheless, a problem worth solving. If the leaders of Syria, Jordan and the Palestians actually speak with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir tonight, a minor miracle in itself, solutions may be nearer than they have been in a long time...
...absent from this gathering. Fourteen years ago, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat made Israelis believe that his attitude toward them had changed by flying to Jerusalem and shaking hands with Israelis, smiling all the time. In contrast, rumors now fly that Syrian President Hafez al-Assad will refuse to shake Shamir's hand, (in Madrid--forget Jerusalem) and such a refusal is unlikely to evoke sympathy from Shamir, who has promised his electorate that he will not cede real estate for promises of peace...
Everyone, including Shamir, knows that the PLO will pull the Palestinian strings. Madrid just happens to host Europe's largest PLO offices. A special liaison has been established to keep the fax lines humming between the official negotiators and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat. But Israel has opted to pretend to believe the charade of PLO noninvolvement. That way, talks can have their chance. Whether or not Israel's refusal to deal with the PLO is reasonable, Palestianian negotiators who openly attempt to bury that charade jeopardize the chance for real talks...
...Shamir, for his part, has voiced little affection for the Arab parties. His prevailing posture is that he will make no concessions. That leaves little room for successful negotiations. He claims that Israel's right to exist is not a bargaining chip and that Israel should not be expected to forfeit territory, which is real, for promises that it will be left alone, which are just talk. Whether or not his position is reasonable, declarations of inflexibility are unlikely to warm the attitudes of his opposite numbers...
...Shamir, for his part, shows two helpful signs. First, he consents to be the dupe who doesn't see the PLO where it most obviously is. Second, his decision to attend the conference in person suggests that he is serious about negotiating...