Israel Cabinet Fails to Settle Talks Question

A divided Cabinet debated Israel’s participation in a proposed Middle East peace conference today, but officials said the two sides did not bridge their differences, raising the possibility of a government breakup.

The coalition government of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres is sharply split over the issue, with Shamir opposing participation in an international conference and Peres arguing Israel will miss a historic chance if it says no.

Both have threatened to call new elections if their position is rejected by the 10-member inner Cabinet, which is evenly divided between Peres’ leftist Labor Party and Shamir’s right-wing Likud bloc.

Peres would not say what was discussed during today’s four-hour meeting, but he said another session was planned for Wednesday, the day he is to fly to Washington.

Government officials from both Likud and Labor said no progress was made in settling differences over the international conference and hinted at the possibility of new elections.

“If you ask me about the likelihood of a compromise after this meeting, I’d say it’s highly unlikely,” one official said.