Israel, Palestinians See Door Closing on Peace Process

Israeli and Palestinian leaders found something to agree upon Thursday: Their once promising peace process is on its last legs and may be over within weeks.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak told a news conference at the U.N. Millennium Summit in New York that Israeli-Palestinian negotiations may have no more than “a couple of weeks” in which to avoid a long-term deadlock that could have dangerous implications throughout the volatile Middle East.

Barak’s gloomy assessment followed by a day President Clinton’s separate meetings with the Israeli prime minister and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat.

“We did not lose hope until now that a solution can be found, but it is clear that time is running out,” Barak said.

Later Thursday, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright insisted that U.S. officials will continue to push for agreement but acknowledged that time is short. Referring to U.S. peace envoy Dennis B. Ross’ negotiating efforts, she said: “Dennis is doing Dennis things.”

Although the White House earlier had indicated that the talks between Clinton and the two Middle East leaders had produced no breakthrough but no breakdown, Israeli and Palestinian spokesmen Thursday made clear that the outcome was far closer to breakdown.

Edward Abington Jr., a former U.S. diplomat who is a consultant to Arafat, said the Palestinian leader “felt that the meetings [with Clinton] didn’t go very far” toward a settlement.

Abington said Arafat is unwilling to give up Palestinian claims to sovereignty over the Temple Mount, a site in East Jerusalem sacred to Muslims, Christians and Jews. All sides agree that the issue is the main cause of the impasse.

“The problem is neither side can concede anything to the other on Temple Mount,” Abington said.

Barak said that Israel and the Palestinians have significant differences on all major issues but that most can be smoothed over if they settle the dispute over Jerusalem.

During the peace talks at Camp David, Md., that broke down in late July, Barak said, President Clinton suggested that the two sides clear the way for agreement on most issues by delaying a decision on sovereignty over Jerusalem for one or two years and delaying action on the Temple Mount for between 10 and 15 years. The fact that Washington suggested a postponement was known at the time, but not the details.

Although Israel was reluctant to agree to a postponement, Barak said, “we said we were ready to contemplate it.” But the Palestinians refused.

Barak said he assumes that Arafat will back down from his determination to proclaim an independent state next week. Arafat has not said anything definitive on the issue, but White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart said Wednesday that Clinton also is convinced that Arafat’s Sept. 13 deadline will pass without unilateral action by the Palestinians.

However, Barak said other deadlines are looming. He cited the adjournment of Congress, which would prevent legislative approval for the massive foreign aid package that Israel and the Palestinians say will be needed to seal a deal. He also referred to the Israeli parliament’s return from recess in October. Barak has lost his parliamentary majority and faces a governmental crisis when the lawmakers return.

“I don’t believe that President Clinton or the Israeli government will be able to negotiate on the same basis two months from now,” Barak said.

The message that Israeli officials here were sending home Thursday was that Barak has gone as far as he can in making concessions and that the talks were unlikely to go on much longer without compromises by the Palestinians.

“As far as we are concerned, we have reached red lines in the negotiations that we cannot cross,” acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami told Israeli radio from New York. “If Arafat wants to lead his people and his movement toward a worthy solution, then this is the time for decisions, not further negotiations.”

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Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson in Jerusalem contributed to this report.