Shamir Blames U.S. for Stirring Arab Hostility

Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir on Friday blamed U.S. criticism of Israel for stirring up growing Arab hostility toward the Jewish state.

“Aggressive intentions . . . begin to surface in the Arab world as soon as they see cracks or breaches in the wall of friendship between Israel and the United States,” Shamir said in an interview published Friday in the Jerusalem Post.

Shamir’s spokesman, meanwhile, said Shamir received a letter from President Bush on Friday welcoming the new Israeli government.

“Bush (in a letter) wished him well on the formation of the new government and . . . said he hoped the United States and Israel would be able to work together for peace,” Avi Pazner said.

After a three-month government crisis sparked by his hard-line attitude toward talks with Palestinians, Shamir swore in the most right-wing Cabinet in Israeli history on Monday.

U.S. frustrations with the Jewish state surfaced two days after the swearing-in.

Secretary of State James A. Baker III, speaking before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, gave the White House telephone number and said, “When you’re serious about peace, call us.”

U.S. officials said later that Baker had meant for his invitation to apply to all Middle Eastern parties, not just Israel, but the remark stung Israel, which complained that Washington had not given the new government a grace period.

Earlier Friday, Pazner said the new government hopes to start talks soon with the United States on Middle East peace.

“Now with the new government we hope to have a dialogue with Washington on the peace process which will lead to close relations,” he told reporters.

He said the talks could start within days at the diplomatic level, “then we hope at higher level.”

Baker proposed in October that Israelis and Palestinians meet in Cairo for preliminary talks. Palestinian delegates would include people deported from the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip and others who have homes in both the territories and East Jerusalem.

The formula was intended as a compromise between Israel’s refusal to talk to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the stance by the PLO that Palestinians outside the territories should be included in talks.