Reid sees slim prospect for Israeli-Palestinian deal

Benjamin Grove

Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000 | 10:09 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said prospects for a peace agreement in Israel are dim as a crucial deadline for a Palestinian-Israeli accord fast approaches.

"I believe the present deal isn't going to fly," Reid said Monday, two days after returning from Israel. "The odds are 60-40 against it."

Reid spent a week in Israel to tour the nation and receive the "Friend of Zion Award" from the Jerusalem Fund, an arm of the organization Aish HaTorah, an international network of Jewish educational centers.

The award honors leaders who promote relations between the United States and Israel, which this year also include Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge and Continental Airlines CEO Gregory Brenneman. Past recipients include Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev and Sens. Orrin Hatch, Joseph Biden and John Kerry.

The Jerusalem Fund paid for Reid and his wife, Landra, to make the trip.

Reid spent much of his time learning about the mission of Aish HaTorah in promoting Jewish heritage, meeting with rabbis and touring synagogues. Reid also visited the Western Wall and historic sites in Jerusalem.

But the Senate's assistant minority leader also got an up-close look at the delicate state of relations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. He met with Israeli army officers in the Golan Heights to discuss national security. He also spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan and chatted with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak for about 20 minutes by phone.

"Barak is not a veteran politician; he's a war hero," Reid said. "He is really a gutsy guy, but he realizes now that it's going to be difficult to get a deal. It's all in the hands of the Palestinians."

Reid is a political ally of President Clinton, who hosted a failed meeting between Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at Camp David last month.

Diplomatic negotiations between the two sides -- locked in conflict for 52 years -- have stalled, and it's obvious the major sticking point is who lays claim to Jerusalem as their capital, Reid said.

The parties set a Sept. 13 deadline to reach an accord. Arafat has threatened to declare Palestinian statehood after that, sparking fears of violence.