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PM confident he can sell WyeBy DANNA HARMAN, HILLEL KUTTLER, STEVE RODAN, and MOHAMMED NAJIBJERUSALEM (October 26) - Returning home yesterday after a nine-day summit that yielded the Wye Memorandum, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu launched immediately into campaign mode and expressed confidence that he could sell the agreement to his right-wing critics. "We blocked many of the holes in the 'Swiss cheese' of Oslo," he said at an airport press conference. "...We had to give up some of our land. This hurts and this is difficult for each and every one of us... and therefore I have to tell you - and I am not exaggerating - we fought with all our strength, we fought like lions, to reduce [this loss] as much as possible." Netanyahu earlier told NBC's Meet the Press he expects his government to survive the process of ratifying the accord. "The government may or may not fall. I don't think it will. I think cooler heads will prevail," he said. He also did not rule out a Palestinian state emerging from the final-status negotiations, saying only that there will have to be "a limitation on certain sovereign powers." But he added that Jerusalem would "never, ever" be redivided. "What is at stake now is the remaining territory which is so vital for Israel's defenses. We have to strike a bargain, a deal, that ensures the Palestinians' desire to run their own lives, but ensures Israel's desire to protect its own life. I don't believe a fully fledged sovereign entity... is the prescription for peace," Netanyahu said. Palestinian Authority Planning Minister Nabil Shaath, meanwhile, said that President Bill Clinton will visit early next month and that US envoy Dennis Ross will arrive later this week and stay at least three weeks to ensure implementation of the Wye Memorandum. Israeli officials said they have no knowledge of Ross's travel plans. Shaath said he expects implementation to be swift and that, in another two weeks, the PA will open its international airport in Dahaniya in the Gaza Strip. He said bus service will bring travelers to and from the airport unimpeded by the IDF. Shaath, speaking over the Voice of Palestine, said the IDF will have a minimal presence around the airport, far less than the army's deployment at the Allenby Bridge. He said Israeli soldiers will not be allowed in the airport terminal. With Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai by his side at the news conference, Netanyahu went through the details of the agreement. He outlined its strong points for Israel, such as calling for the arrest of wanted terrorists, the reduction of the Palestinian Police, confiscation of illegal arms, and the convening of the Palestinian National Council to annul sections of the Palestinian Covenant calling for Israel's destruction. Netanyahu also indicated that Israel is seeking $1 billion in US aid to compensate for the redeployment costs, adding that he had just spoken with House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who had promised to consider the matter with a "fair mind." Sharon, who on more than one occasion had said that any government to withdraw from more than 10 percent of the West Bank would be toppled, was singing a somewhat different tune yesterday. He echoed Netanyahu's words, claiming that the agreement is "the best deal we could have gotten under the circumstances." But he refused to say whether he would for it. "I don't think there is any other government, or any other prime minister who could have reached a better deal," said Mordechai in turn. Netanyahu flew from the airport to Jerusalem by helicopter to avoid the hundreds of protesters lining the roads. However, acknowledging the many from his own camp who feel betrayed by the agreement, he turned to them in an impassioned plea. He understands, he said, the heartache of his right-wing critics, but he hopes they will "think clearly... with their heads," instead of threatening to topple the government. "To all my friends, let me ask you - who do you want to be in charge of the final-status talks? Who is going to ensure that the border does not reach us here in Tel Aviv... who is going to protect Jerusalem, who is going to ensure security... Do you want a left-wing government?" Getting the agreement through the cabinet and avoiding a Knesset vote for early elections are likely to be ordeals for Netanyahu. Three ministers who oppose the agreement - Limor Livnat, Yitzhak Levy, and Rafael Eitan - were absent from the official airport welcoming welcoming ceremony. (The two Yisrael Ba'aliya ministers, Natan Sharansky and Yuli Edelstein, were at a party executive meeting scheduled long beforehand.) Many other ministers have expressed displeasure at the deal and are threatening to vote against it. On several occasions, Netanyahu reiterated that he does not want, or intend to call for early elections at this stage. Labor Party members, meanwhile, meeting at their headquarters in Tel Aviv, said they welcome the deal and would support it, but are still hoping for early elections. Asked why he did not mention Yitzhak Rabin in his speech at the White House, leaving it up to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and Jordan's King Hussein to credit him for his role in the ongoing peace process, Netanyahu avoided a direct answer, saying instead that, "We are all for peace... Rabin was for peace, Peres was for peace, and so are we, in the same way." Arafat was in Egypt yesterday to brief President Hosni Mubarak. He is scheduled to make a round of visits in Arab countries in the coming days to present the case for the agreement. He leaves today for Algeria. Shaath urged Palestinian militants not to attack Israeli targets. He said PA policy would not be different from those of other Arab countries. "The Jordanians have not allowed attacks from their territory and neither have the Syrians allowed attacks from the Golan Heights," he said. At the same time, PA security sources said they have obtained pledges from dozens of Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants that they will not obstruct the IDF withdrawal by carrying out terrorist attacks. PA Secretary-General Tayeb Abdul Rahim issued a warning to the opposition. "The PA has its commitments and will not allow anybody to violate these commitments through force," he said on the Voice of Palestine. "Anybody who wants to torpedo these agreements through violence is breaking the law." He said the Wye accord is a transitional step and represents the collapse of the Israeli idea that the West Bank is part of the historical Land of Israel. Abdul Rahim added that the Wye agreement will lead to Israeli withdrawal on other fronts. "This agreement has opened the door to move the negotiations onto other Arab tracks," he said.
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