Labor Party Chairman Shimon Peres congratulated Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir on Thursday night for giving a positive response to U.S. Secretary of State James Baker on the planned Middle East peace conference.
Peres’ move, a rare gesture in Israeli politics, bolstered Shamir’s political strength and rendered less effective the threats from the Likud’s far-right coalition partners to bolt the government if the conference takes place.
There was no sign, however, that Shamir is contemplating re-forming a unity government with Labor. On the contrary, the premier took time out Thursday to meet with Tehiya leader Yuval Ne’e-man and other far-right figures, in an effort to persuade them that they have no reason to quit– or threaten to quit — the coalition.
At the other end of Israel’s political spectrum, the Hadash Communist Party also welcomed the conference, but insisted the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole legitimate spokesman of the Palestinians and that it should determine the makeup of the Palestinian delegation.
The small factions to the left of Labor reacted warmly to the latest developments, calling the announced peace conference “excellent news for peace-loving Israelis, who are by far the majority of the country, and very bad news for the right wing.”
Labor’s position was more fully articulated by the party’s No. 2 leader, Yitzhak Rabin, a former prime minister and, until last year, minister of defense.
Rabin said the opportunity offered by the Bush-Gorbachev announcement was “not the best opportunity, but a very good opportunity that must not be missed.”
He explained that he thought the “best opportunity” had come and gone in the spring of 1990, when Likud rejected the idea of a conference with the Palestinians hosted by Egypt.
The Likud-Labor national unity government collapsed over that issue.
Now, Rabin said, Israel will face simultaneous talks with the Syrians, the Palestinians and other local parties which, obviously, will be less convenient.
Nevertheless, the bottom line of all concerned is to achieve a comprehensive peace, Rabin said.
He advised the government to deal with one front at a time — the Syrians or the Palestinians– and turn to the other only after a breakthrough has been achieved in the first.
The Center-Shinui Movement, Citizens Rights Movement and Mapam issued a joint statement accepting Shamir’s positive, albeit qualified, answer to Baker.
The leftist parties warned, however, against stubbornness on unimportant details, which could derail the peace process.
According to Mapam leader Yair Tsaban, many Likud Knesset members “know in their hearts that peace will only be achieved by compromises with the Palestinians and the Syrians.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
