Barak and Arafat Have Lost That Lovin' Feelin'

That was a lightning-fast honeymoon. Yasser Arafat Monday accused Ehud Barak of trying to wiggle out of existing peace accords, while Barak slammed Arafat’s "rigidity." At issue is Barak’s proposal to delay some land transfers required by the Wye Agreement in order to avoid leaving some Israeli settlements surrounded by Palestinian territory before a final agreement with the Palestinians. The fate of the settlers is one of the issues slated for "final status" talks, and Barak says leaving them vulnerable to attack by Palestinian militants could put the entire peace process at risk. But to the Palestinians, Barak is starting to look like yet another Israeli leader making excuses to avoid handing over land. "Barak is asking the Palestinians to do something which they have no interest in doing," says TIME Jerusalem bureau chief Lisa Beyer. "Protection of Israeli settlers in the West Bank is hardly a priority for Arafat." It may be more of a problem for Barak since the voice of the settlers in Israeli politics is often greater than their number, and his government is, after all, a broad coalition.

Although hardly a crisis when compared with the Netanyahu-era breakdowns in Israeli-Palestinian relations, the latest standoff is the first cloudburst on the parade of optimism that greeted Barak’s election. At the same time, the new Israeli prime minister maintains that if the Palestinians insist, he’ll implement Wye to the letter. "That gives the Palestinians no incentive to reconsider," says Beyer. "And the U.S. has said Wye should be implemented as agreed unless the Palestinians agree to changes." So, despite the mistrust and suspicion aroused by his latest proposal, Barak still has the opportunity to show the Palestinians that he’s a man of his word. And that will help the peace process in the long run.