ISRAELI Prime Minister Shimon Peres dropped a political bombshell yesterday, saying he would ask for a referendum before signing a final Israeli accord with the Palestinians on the fate of Jerusalem and Jewish settlers.
It was the first time Mr Peres had publicly called for such a vote and appeared to be aimed at winning over Israel's crucial "floating" voters with less than two months to the elections.
The opposition Likud Party has already claimed that Mr Peres will divide Jerusalem, give up much of the West Bank and agree to the creation of a Palestinian state.
Mr Peres has denied he will compromise on Jerusalem, but in what promises to be a tight race between him and opposition Likud leader Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, the floating vote will decide the election. Recent polls, which have given Mr Peres a six to eight point lead, have also shown that up to 12 per cent of the electorate is still undecided.
Mr Peres, who announced the referendum during a flight to Oman for the first official visit there by an Israeli premier, said he would ask his Labour party to include the referendum idea in its election platform. "When you hold negotiations of this nature you want results that are supported by the majority of the nation," said Mr Peres.
Mr Peres's commitment is similar to a pledge made by Yitzhak Rabin, who promised to hold a referendum on any future peace settlement between Israel and Syria. An agreement with Syria would likely entail a significant, if not total, Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights.
While Mr Peres said his pledge was aimed at avoiding arguments within his party over the content of a future Israel Palestinian agreement, political commentators yesterday said Mr Peres hoped the move would also enable him to avoid having to outline exactly how he views the final settlement.
The opposition Likud reacted angrily, dismissing the Peres initiative as "another attempt to bluff the Israeli public" and adding that the "real referendum" would take place on election day, May 29th. "The public is not stupid," said Likud Knesset Member Mr Limor Livnat, who said Mr Peres's initiative was a sign he feared he would not win public support for his policies.
Mr Peres's visit to Oman yesterday was another step that underlines how peace accords signed between Israel and its Arab neighbours have been opening up the Middle East. Mr Peres was yesterday given a red carpet welcome in the oil rich sultanate.
Oman, which has led the way among the Gulf states in establishing ties with Israel, signed an agreement with Israel earlier this year to open low level diplomatic interest sections in their respective countries. Mr Peres's trip follows a secret visit by Mr Rabin to Oman in 1994.
Today Mr Peres will become the first Israeli leader to visit Qatar, which like Oman has low level economic links with Israel. On the agenda is a multi million dollar deal whereby Qatar will export over two million tons of liquefied natural gas to Israel annually.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have been more reticent in initiating ties with Israel, insisting that a comprehensive peace treaty in the Middle east must come first. Palestinian leaders criticised Oman and Qatar for allowing Mr Peres's visit while the Israeli blockade on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which was imposed on February 2,5th after a spate of suicide bombings by Hamas militants, is still being enforced. The blockade keeps about 60,000 Palestinian workers from their jobs in Israel.