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To encourage King Hussein, who refused to enter into direct talks with Israel about the future of the 1.3 million Palestinians in the Israeli- occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, Peres gave cautious support to the concept of an international conference on the Middle East; the idea is opposed by both his Likud coalition partners and the U.S. On the question of Soviet participation in such a conference, Peres argued that Moscow should be allowed to take part only if it renewed its diplomatic ties with Israel and resumed the granting of exit visas to Soviet-born Jews who want to immigrate to Israel.
Though many of his colleagues never expected the rotation agreement to last, Shamir told TIME editors in New York City last week that it had worked "because both sides knew there was no alternative, and because the ground rules were well prepared." At 70, Shamir has spent 30 years in Israeli political life, serving three years as Menachem Begin's Foreign Minister and, following Begin's retirement, eleven months as Prime Minister. For the next two years, Shamir foresees a "change of style but not of substance," adding that it will not amount to "anything dramatic." Like Peres, he will be constrained in his actions by the nature of the coalition government.
As Prime Minister, Shamir has no guarantee that he will not be challenged by Peres and the Labor Party at the earliest opportunity. In such an event, he might also face a threat from two ambitious younger leaders of his own Likud bloc, Deputy Prime Minister David Levy, 48, and Industry and Commerce Minister Ariel Sharon, 58. But if the coalition's brief history is any indication, he may manage to hold onto his government and party posts at least until the 1988 elections.