Rejiggering Old Equations

The drama of TWA 847 may open new Middle East opportunities

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Caught in cross fire during the crisis, Israel could count few if any gains. It was part of an arrangement that had at least the appearance of making concessions to terrorists, a violation of national policy. Last week, barely a day after the hostages were freed, Israeli officials ordered the repatriation of 300 of the Lebanese detainees, leaving about 460 still awaiting release from Atlit prison. Nor did the Israelis enjoy watching the U.S. becoming indebted to Assad, whom they regard as Jerusalem's most dangerous enemy. Finally, Israel suffered in U.S. public opinion, at least early in the crisis. A Washington Post-ABC News poll taken as the hostages were being released showed that one-third of the sample agreed with the assertion that "the U.S. should reduce its ties to Israel in order to lessen the acts of terrorism against Americans in the Middle East." The same poll, however, showed that the percentage of those who felt Israel had not done enough to help resolve the crisis had fallen from 53% to 37%.

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