Prime-Time Terrorism

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Faced with his own hostage crisis, however, Reagan was as hamstrung as his unlucky predecessor, Jimmy Carter. His customary jauntiness subdued, a weary President last week resolutely vowed that "America will never make concessions to terrorists. To do so would only invite more terrorism." Yet, he conceded, as any leader of a humanitarian country was bound to do, that his "first priority" was winning the safe return of the hostages.

"I have to wait it out as long as those people are there and threatened and alive and we have a possibility of bringing them home," he soberly acknowledged to reporters at a press conference. Even if he wanted to retaliate, the President admit

ted, he could not be sure who the terrorists were or where to find them. "You can't just start shooting without having someone in your gunsights," he sighed, sounding like a man who was sorely tempted to squeeze off a few rounds.

The Administration's determination not to give in to terrorists, a view shared by its Israeli allies, precluded a quick resolution of the crisis. The terrorists' principal demand was for the release of the Lebanese still held by Israel. These prisoners were among nearly 1,200 Lebanese rounded up as part of Israel's "iron fist" policy, a mop-up campaign conducted by Israeli occupation forces as they pulled out of Lebanon earlier this year. Though detained for loosely defined "security offenses," the Shi'ite prisoners are in effect hostages themselves. They were seized as an insurance policy against attacks on the retreating Israelis by Shi'ite militiamen (see box).

The Israelis began releasing some prisoners in early April, and had planned on freeing the rest in coming weeks -- that is, until the hijacking of Flight 847. Fearful of seeming soft on terrorism, Israel hinted publicly it would give up the remaining Shi'ites only if the U.S. insisted that it do so. But the U.S. was not about to ask, publicly or privately. In a telephone conversation at week's end, Secretary of State George Shultz and Israel's Prime Minister Shimon Peres agreed that their countries must not give in.

Israeli officials stoutly maintained that the decision to free the 31 detainees had nothing to do with the hostage crisis in Beirut and was, in effect, a continuation of existing policy. Nabih Berri, the Western-educated Lebanese Cabinet minister and leader of the Shi'ite Amal movement, has been negotiating on behalf of the hijackers for the release of the 40 American hostages, as well as the Lebanese prisoners still held by Israel. "What should we do now?" he asked, when told of Israel's decision to free 31. "Should we release half a hostage?"

At the same time, a Swiss government official said Sunday that his country's Foreign Minister had relayed a message from Berri to Israel and the U.S. as part of the effort to end the deadlock. In the message, Berri reportedly said he agreed in principle to release of the American hostages but requested the freeing of an undisclosed number of Lebanese Shi'ites by Israel. Whether Israel's decision to release the 31 Shi'ites was in any way connected with this diplomatic exchange was not clear.