Christopher Calls on Israel to Give Peace Process a Boost

Secretary of State Warren Christopher called on Israel on Sunday to ease travel restrictions on Palestinians and to withdraw its troops from the disputed West Bank city of Hebron, steps that he said will rejuvenate the Middle East peace process.

Christopher said that in the wake of the “psychological breakthrough” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s first meeting with Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, it is time for both sides to take “tangible steps” toward compliance with their peace accords. The peace process has been stalled since Netanyahu, the leader of the right-wing Likud Party, was elected premier in May.

The positions that Christopher outlined in an hourlong meeting here with Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy were a likely preview of President Clinton’s meeting today at the White House with Netanyahu, who is making his second visit to the United States since his election.

Christopher’s comments indicated that the United States is ready to press for an acceleration in the pace of Israel’s peacemaking with both the Palestinians and Syria. When Netanyahu met with Clinton in July, the president shied away from even implicit criticism of his rejection of Israel’s land-for-peace policy and his determination to go slow in developing relations with the Palestinians.

Christopher said it is time for Israel to eliminate or substantially ease the closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which the government of former Prime Minister Shimon Peres imposed after a wave of suicide bombings in Israel in February and March. The closure has prevented most Palestinian workers from reaching jobs in Israel and has restricted travel between Palestinian communities.

Levy responded that the Israeli government last week increased from 32,000 to 50,000 the number of Palestinian workers authorized to travel daily to jobs in Israel. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said Christopher acknowledged the partial steps but that “we would like to see further easing.”

Christopher also called on Israel to withdraw its forces from Hebron, the only West Bank city still occupied by Israeli troops. The Israeli-Palestinian peace accords called for Israeli withdrawal from the city--where 450 Jews live among 100,000 Palestinians--to be completed in the spring, but the process was suspended after the rash of suicide bombings.

Also Sunday, Christopher told reporters that the United States has been passing messages between Israel and Syria in an attempt to restart negotiations between the two countries that broke off in the spring. But aides said no agreement to resume the talks is imminent.

Christopher and Levy met in London before the secretary of state flew back to Washington after a trip to France, Germany and Britain.