Arriving at the White House with a message of good will and a list of what he says are Palestinian peace accord violations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat down Tuesday with President Clinton to plot the next moves in Mideast peace-making.
Taking the initiative, Netanyahu handed over a list of Palestinian actions that his hard-line government contends are in conflict with the agreements that gave the Palestine Liberation Organization control of Gaza and most of the West Bank.However, Netanyahu also struck a positive stance. Sitting in matching armchairs in the Oval Office, the prime minister said he brought Clinton "a lot of good will from the people of Israel."
Then, in Hebrew, he said his aim was to promote "a real peace process. That's what we want to do. I am sure we will succeed in that."
Clinton, in turn, said he expected to have a good discussion.
Posing for pictures, Netanyahu appeared to be in a good mood. He told the president the Israeli media are "all pussycats." And, again in Hebrew, he said his relationship with Clinton would be based on "chemistry, not combustion - good chemistry." Reversing course from two previous Labor-led governments, Netanyahu last week accused the Palestine Liberation Organization of breaking its promise to revoke sections of its charter that call for the dismantling of Israel as a Jewish state.
He also said there were "manifold violations by the Palestinian Authority of solemn com-mit-ments."
Diplomatic sources said Netanyahu's list would include alleged illegal activity in Jerusalem, which has felt the sting of terrorist attacks.
Before the talks, Netanyahu laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery and was honored with a 21-gun salute and playing of the Israeli anthem by the U.S. Army Band.
Clinton and Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who held a warmup meeting with Netanyahu June 25 in Jerusalem, are signaling their sensitivity to Netanyahu's concerns, especially in light of recent terrorist attacks on Americans in Saudi Arabia. Twenty-four Americans were killed in bombings in Riyadh and Dhahran.
Netanyahu returned to the security theme over breakfast Tuesday with Christopher, emphasizing also that the Palestinians should be required to fulfill their commitments, too.
"The Israeli government is recently constituted, just getting its bearings," Clinton said at a news conference in France on June 29. "It's quite important that both sides in the Middle East, the Arab parties and the Israelis, give each other some room here. A little time needs to pass."
But he also said, "The commitments Israel has made to date should be kept."