U.S. Reported Offering Israel Names for Panel

The United States has given Israel the names of seven Palestinians for consideration as possible members of a Jordanian-Palestinian delegation to Middle East peace talks, a government official said today.

The names were submitted unofficially three weeks ago to Prime Minister Shimon Peres, but had not been formally approved by Jordan or the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the Israeli official, who demanded anonymity.

One proposed name was Abdel Hamid Sayegh, speaker of the Palestine National Council, the PLO’s legislative arm. The others were three leaders from Israeli-occupied territories and three Palestinian professors living abroad, said the official.

Not Formal Proposal

He said Peres had not discussed the names with his coalition government because the list was not a formal proposal that required an Israeli decision.

Peres also fears a premature discussion of specific names could aggravate tensions in the ruling coalition, which is divided over whether a council member like Sayegh could sit at the bargaining table.

The United States and Israel now refuse to deal with the PLO, which has called for Israel’s destruction. Israeli officials have differed in public over whether members of the Palestine National Council, some of whom are not affiliated with PLO guerrilla factions, would be acceptable as negotiators.

Israel radio reported that U.S. Ambassador Samuel Lewis, before his retirement last week, gave the list to Peres. A U.S. diplomatic source said Lewis discussed names that previously had been “floated” by Palestinian officials, but offered no new list.

No U.S. Comment

There was no immediate comment from the State Department on the reports.

The Israeli official said the names emerged during Secretary of State George P. Shultz’s visit to the Middle East three weeks ago.

In Cairo, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, Gamal Sourany, said the PLO had not submitted a list for a joint delegation “officially or unofficially.”

The Israeli government source said the proposed names included Mayor Elias Freij of Bethlehem, deposed Mayor Rashid Shawa of Gaza, and Hikmet Masri, a former Jordanian Parliament speaker who is now a Nablus businessman.

He also confirmed the names of Edward Said of Columbia University and Hisham Sharabi of Georgetown University. He said he did not know the name of the third professor proposed as a delegation member.