CNN - U.S. hopes Natanyahu won't undo the peace process

U.S. hopes Netanyahu won't undo the peace process

June 1, 1996
Web posted at: 11:45 a.m. EDT (1545 GMT)

From Senior White House Correspondent Wolf Blitzer

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to take office, one of his first tasks will be to establish relationships with the nations allied with Israel.

Much of the groundwork has already been laid with the United States, Israel's strongest ally.

Although President Clinton is a friend of Prime Minister Shimon Peres, he is no stranger to Netanyahu, the man who unseated Peres.

The two men met most recently this year in Jerusalem following an anti-terrorism summit in Egypt which Netanyahu supported.

After the results of Israel's prime minister election were announced Friday, Clinton called Netanyahu to congratulate him. Clinton joked that by nabbing 50.5 percent of the vote, Natanyahu's victory was a landslide compared to his own 43 percent win in 1992.

The president invited Netanyahu to Washington once he forms his coalition government. In accepting, the new Israeli leader promised to continue the U.S.-led peace process. U.S. leaders were optimistic Netanyahu will keep his promise.

"We will have an opportunity to have good and candid discussions with him -- letting him know what, in our view, is feasible in this peace process," Secretary of State Warren Christopher said. (97K AIFF or WAV sound)

It's not yet clear what is feasible. U.S. officials, who had been hoping for a Shimon Peres victory, privately said they were disappointed. They also said they've lowered their expectations for the peace process.

Their No. 1 priority is simply to preserve what's been accomplished in recent years. They're also hoping the Israeli-Syrian peace talks won't unravel. But they are not anticipating any dramatic progress.

When it comes to Netanyahu, former U.S. officials said openly what current officials fear but are reluctant to say:

"From our perspective, I think he's going to be difficult to deal with, and he's going to be tough on the peace process," said former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger. (59K AIFF or WAV sound)

Netanyahu, who served in the Israeli Embassy in Washington in the early 1980s, already has many influential friends in Washington. Some believe this will help him in dealing with the United States.

"I think he'll be very favorably received on Capitol Hill. We look forward to this new democratically elected leader who has the support of his country even though he won by a very slight margin," said Republican Rep. Benjamin Gilman, chairman of the House International Relations Committee.

Sam Lewis was the U.S. ambassador to Israel in 1977 when the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin was elected. There were similar fears then of an end to the peace process, although Begin wound up negotiating the first Israeli peace treaty with an Arab neighbor -- Egypt.

Will Netanyahu be an equally pleasant surprise?

"He's not nearly as much in control of the coalition and the party as Begin was," Lewis said. "To do something like giving up the Golan in order to get peace with Syria would be politically impossible for him."

Whether or not he is as powerful as his predecessors, Netanyahu will be under a great deal of pressure to maintain good ties with the U.S., which still provides Israel with $3 billion in annual assistance.

Likewise, Clinton, who is campaigning for another term, will be under pressure to make sure U.S.-Israeli relations stay strong.

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