Mideast Peace: Are We There Yet?

Despite Benjamin Netanyahu's theatrics, President Clinton's Mideast peace summit looks set to reach some kind of deal on its eighth day. "The fact that the President is returning to the talks today suggests that the White House believes that some agreement is imminent," says TIME State Department correspondent Dean Fischer. Late Wednesday, Netanyahu packed his bags and threatened to go home, but then allowed himself to be persuaded to stay. "Netanyahu's threatened walkout was so obviously feigned that it had to be primarily for domestic consumption," says TIME Jerusalem bureau chief Lisa Beyer. "It's not like he was given any new concessions to persuade him to stay -- he just wants to be able to tell right-wing Israelis that he got the best deal possible under the circumstances."

The conclusion of the Wye talks is unlikely to give Clinton much to crow about: "Even if they succeed it will be a very modest achievement for the amount of time, energy and prestige the President has invested in this effort," says Fischer. "It mostly just ensures that this troubled peace process can continue."