Barak Turns to PR From U.S.

It would be the task of a so-far-unidentified team of PR experts from the United States to help Ehud Barak sell to his countrymen a set of ingredients for a peace settlement suggested by the White House, on what amounts to a take-it-or-leave-it basis.

Both Barak and the Clinton-Gore administration see only enough time left before their terms in office expire to make one final effort to bring about a settlement between warring Israelis and Palestinians.

The Clinton formula that Barak is asking both sides to buy into contains too much for many Israelis to accept and not enough to give Palestinians everything they want.

According to the World Tribune:

The strongest argument Barak has going for him is that if this plan is rejected by either side, it may well be the last chance during the next decade of averting Israel's isolation in "an entirely new Middle East" that threatens non-conventional weapons and a surge of terrorism beyond anything seen so far.

"We are talking about difficult and intense deliberations on the most painful issues," Barak told his Cabinet on Sunday.

"We will never concede on our vital interests. At the same time, we must examine every idea worthy of consideration, even if it is painful.

"If an agreement is not reached and the situation deteriorates, cracks will develop in the other peace accords and Israel's isolation will grow against the background of this violence."

Based on information gleaned from U.S. sources and those within the Barak government, this is how this last-gasp peace settlement would shape up:

• Israel would transfer to the Palestinians the entire Gaza Strip, virtually the entire West Bank, and eastern Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount.

• Israelis being held prisoner in Arab countries would be released.

• Israel would return up to 250,000 Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war of independence.

• Those refugees and their families would be settled in the northern Negev.

• Some 100 embassies would be transferred to Jerusalem.

• Palestinians would maintain existing claims against the Jewish state until all issues are resolved over the next few years.

• In return, Palestinians would declare an end to their conflict with Israel.

• American specialists in molding public opinion would be prepared to try to sell whatever peace treaty results.

The Clinton-Gore administration has given Israelis and Palestinians until Wednesday to respond to the U.S. proposals.

Until then, said National Security Council spokesman P.J. Crowley, "We will make no decisions until we hear back from the parties.

"It's premature to talk about a summit until there is real progress on the substance."