Having seen how much he has gained by a policy of violence, he may reason that even more violence will ultimately net the Palestinians even more. As much as many American Jews may resent President Clinton for trying to win a Nobel Peace Prize by dividing Jerusalem, it must be understood that this will only become a reality if it has Israel s assent. Barak has stated publicly that if Arafat agrees with Clinton s plan, he, too, will accept it. But it is Israel s people who will be the ultimate judges of the value of these concessions. It is they alone who will be the arbiters of Israel s future via the ballot box in February.
Most observers doubt it.
But Barak is planning on selling his plan to a war-weary Israel by promising them that if they turn him down, they will get a war. If so, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy brought about by a situation that Barak alone created. The outcome of the talks will also have an enormous impact on American Jews. But as traumatic as this debate may be in Israel, it is just as important for these issues to be thoroughly aired here. It is likely that a majority of American Jews will support Israel s government no matter what its policies on Jerusalem turn out to be.