For Now, U.S. Nudging Israel

Urgent but quiet pleas, not strong-arming, were on the diplomatic menu at the State Department this week as the target date to begin implementation of the Wye River Memorandum came and went without much action on the ground.
But observers warned that U.S. pressure is likely to resume if what is seen by administration officials as Israeli foot-dragging continues.

Angst Over Hussein’s Health

The Clinton administration went out of its way this week to debunk reports in Israel that Jordan’s King Hussein is unlikely to resume his duties because of deteriorating health. The king’s illness was a persistent subtheme to this week’s frantic diplomatic effort at the Wye River Conference Center even before Hussein’s dramatic appearance at the summit on Tuesday — summoned from his sickbed by an administration that believed the Israeli-Palestinian meetings were in deep trouble.