After just eight weeks in office the new Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Ehud Barak, has come face to face with the complexities and frustrations of the Middle East peace process, which he is pledged to bring to a positive conclusion by a clear mandate from the Israeli electorate and a broad coalition government. Palestinian and Israeli negotiators have reportedly now reached agreement in principle on implementing the Wye River agreement swapping land for security, after differences over prisoner releases. The differences were not huge and did not prove impossible to resolve, given the amount of goodwill involved and the international pressure to make more rapid progress, especially from the United States. But they illustrate difficulties about substance and timing that will surely continue to affect the talks.
Mr Barak has to satisfy his coalition that certain moves are acceptable and will not set precedents when more elaborate issues are at stake. Thus failure to agree on definitions raises deeper questions about allowing Palestinian prisoners convicted of murder free as part of a political agreement. According to the Wye deal 750 of them were to be released in three stages. The former Israeli prime minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, released 250 common criminals and then froze the process last December ahead of May's elections. The Palestinians now say this breaks the agreement, while the Israelis have insisted their definition was not specified. Significantly, last night's agreement in principle includes agreement to continue prisoner releases.
A wider question of timing is concealed in this ostensibly minor matter. Palestinian negotiators have turned down an Israeli suggestion that both sides proceed rapidly from the Wye accord to address the main issues in final settlement talks, including Jerusalem, the return of refugees, borders, Israeli settlers and Palestinian statehood. Mr Barak knows he has to offend a number of Israeli constituencies and interests to reach an agreement and would prefer to do it once not twice. The Palestinians suspect his motives and are determined that he prove his goodwill by implementing what has already been agreed to the letter.
Progress on these matters is expected when the US Secretary of State, Ms Madelaine Albright, visits the region at the beginning of September. President Clinton is obviously anxious to make progress in his last year in office. To do so he will have to persuade Syria to deal more constructively with Mr Barak than President Assad has as yet indicated he is willing to do. There is just as much mutual suspicion between Mr Assad and the Palestinian leader, Mr Arafat, as between them and Mr Barak.
Linkages there must be between these regional and substantive issues; it will fall largely to US pressure to bring the overall peace process onto a new plane of trust so that concessions can be made and risks taken to reach a settlement. Political and regional circumstances for peace have not been so favourable for many years. There is also an opportunity for confidence-building gestures to take advantage of them, such as the release of a long-standing Palestinian prisoner last week who was convicted of killing an Israeli policeman 19 years ago.