The last time Secretary of State Madeleine Albright gave Netanyahu an ultimatum -- in May she told him to show up in Washington prepared to accept the U.S. proposal -- he stood her up and instead unleashed powerful Jewish groups in the U.S. that blasted the administration for bullying him. Albright, who has had more than half a dozen phone conversations with Netanyahu in the past week, "is fed up with the talks," says a State Department official. But to withdraw from them now "without pointing a finger at Israel is not going to be easy. There will be war with Bibi."
Bye-bye Bibi?
WASHINGTON: Frustrated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to
accept a U.S. proposal for Israel to withdraw from 13 percent of the
West Bank, aides to President Clinton say Washington may soon
pull out of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. "We would tell
them, 'You're on your own,'" says a senior White House staff
member. But the problem for Clinton is how to make good on that
threat yet avoid getting hammered at home.