U.S. Point Man Finds Israeli Turmoil, Arab Resentment

A U.S. envoy ran into Israeli political turmoil and Palestinian frustrations Tuesday at the start of a visit aimed at paving the way for President Clinton’s personal intervention in the Mideast peacemaking crisis.

Mediator Dennis B. Ross held talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid threats from Cabinet hard-liners to topple the Israeli leader over the issue of ceding more West Bank land to the Palestinians.

Channel 2 TV said Netanyahu refused to tell Ross how much of the West Bank he is willing to cede and warned that the resignation this week of moderate Foreign Minister David Levy has complicated matters.

Ross later met in Bethlehem with Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, who told the envoy that Israel has “no more excuses” for delaying troop withdrawals agreed upon in interim peace deals, a Palestinian negotiator said.

“We hope that Mr. Netanyahu will not use his internal political crisis for more settlement activities and confiscation of land,” chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said.

After meeting with Arafat, Ross told reporters: “I’m out here to work on the process, to work with both sides to try to find ways to move forward in advance of the meetings that will take place in Washington.”

In an attempt to restart the peace process, Clinton will meet Netanyahu on Jan. 20 at the White House and hold talks with Arafat two days later.

Without Levy in the Cabinet and his five-member Gesher faction in the parliamentary coalition, Netanyahu is extremely vulnerable to a threatened rebellion by hard-liners who oppose ceding any land.

Transportation Minister Yitzhak Levy, whose National Religious Party champions Jewish settlement in lands Israel occupied in 1967, said his party would “absolutely” bring the government down if Netanyahu withdrew from more than 10% of the West Bank.

Netanyahu also faces pressure from moderates in the government to carry out the pullout. Netanyahu’s coalition now rests on a minimal majority of 61 out of 120 parliament seats.