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Israel's crisis has led to unprecedented manoeuvering for 1996.
iii Biemi ISRAEL CORRESPONDENT
he late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin may have
people, but a politician he definitely was not. A general by temperament and training, he acquired a reputation as a keen analyst of haute politique.
Yet, when it came to jockeying on the domestic political scene, he lacked the necessaiy cunning and talent. What you saw was pretty much what you got. And the upshot of the straight and square manner in which he played politics was the minority government (alter Shas puUed out of the coalition in the autumn of 1993) that left him so vulnerable.
abStto'iteae^'^^fe^*        '"""'"S«tmmmt Mr.ParosIsM'smprinitminister.
A master of political games- inet" and on the team shepherd- triguing deal with the mod^ manship, Mr. Peres has been ing the peace negotiations. Oi:3iodoxr known to overplay his hand. Mr. Barak, the newest and ty, the standard-bearer of' None here forget when, through "greenest" of the ministers, was Land of Israel movement, considerable horse trading, he promoted to the key post of for- in return for Labor^s coi brou#it down the likud-led Na- eign minister. (Mr. Peres, like ment not to sign further pes tional Unity Government in 1990 Mr. Rabin before him, decided to treaties before & upcoming« and then failed to form a Labor- keep the defence portfolio for tions and to coordinate wiOi i led government in its stead,   himself). NRP the redeployment in
Those antics brought him the     But that, too, was a limited   West Bank, the NRP would. "'stinky manoeuvre** label hurled   coup. Mr. Peres effectively   its struggle against the Oslo, by Mr. Rabin. stripped his foreign minister of  cords and pl^e not to supi
Of the three decisions Mr.   themostsi^uficantasi^ofhis   no-confidence votes agais Peres had to make in forming a government, the first — for or against quick elections — was the easiest. As expected, he
an
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,now
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Uri Savir, who adds to his post the position of coordinator of the
Apprised of Beilin's cent with that group, Meretz Ei ronment Minister Yossi Si
announc
.a(
Instead, he chose to form a government quiddy—based on 3ie existing coalition — andto
use the coming year to make his but is holding them in a political   f^acepn^^ and to accept tei^
own imprint on the countay and bear hug. That will ensure that
the peace process. (See cabinet the struggle for succession will
Therefore, Mr. Peres has em-   It appeared that Mr. Peres
up to his old, dubious tri< pledging both to continue
not begin until after the election in
list, page 7).
He handled the second question —how to deal with Labor^s   that they had better behave if two leading aspirants to sucked   they want to be well placed in
Were this pact signed,
as;'
nesi
him: Histadrut chairman Haim Ramon and recently appointed   suming He's ma Interior Minister Ehud Barak ~   one in November '96). with similar shrewdness and aplomb.
Hgious "status quo" (u|^t by recent High Court ruling re^p nizing Reform conversions p While Bfc, Peres* moves were   formed in Israels - BeeJBM
largely anticipated, what sur-   24), in exchange for a parallel
had hoped to be appointed for-   ers was the speed witSi which he iTor
.rnion
an
to
:or
mmis'
,aspotmomap-prime min-slgning a
vacated (Interior), though Mr.   malition ags^ement with &e left-   doubt that it will be fasdna^^^
es. 1. .
In short, Mr. Peres, in as prime mini
a
an
wing Meretz Party, Mr. Peres   to watch how he plays out" - ^ "an in-   hand. □
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