Olmert claims that 95 per cent of Israeli citizens would agree with his general assessment of Israel's foreign policy options. Aloni believes that Israelis can and must come to terms with the Palestinian question if peace is to be achieved. As she says, "I think if Rabin takes a strong stand on recognizing and negotiating with the Palestinians, if he believes in what he is doing, he can take his case to the people and win a majority. But I fear that he will postpone a decision as long as possible."

Olmert senses an emerging rightist swing in Israel and believes that his party stands a strong chance of gaining strength in any new elections. He says that national dissatisfaction with the Rabin government is manifest, and that Likud's hard line is seen as the only realistic approach to the crisis, by increasingly large numbers of Israelis. Aloni denies the existence of this trend. "There is no rightist swing in Israel-the problem is simply that the government is undefined in its position, and indecision by those in power generally tends to aid the opposition; and in Israel, Likud is the only major opposition force."

The two politicians do share a pessimistic attitude toward the potential effects of the Kissinger negotiations. Aloni is extremely doubtful about Kissinger's chances of achieving a breakthrough in the Middle East. "The Rabin government gives Kissinger more credit than the average person. We are all aware that he won the Nobel Prize for Peace, yet there is no peace in Vietnam."

Olmert is equally dubious about Kissinger's role. "His goals are what is in the global interests of the United States. His objective is not to bring a permanent peace, but to avoid any possible escalation which may lead to nuclear war. His technique is to hold all the keys in his hands, a method which creates ambiguities and increases rather than relaxes tension."

Olmert asserts that Israel does not seek war, but warns that fear of war will not force Israel into one sided concessions. "Israel will go to all lengths to avoid a pre-emptive strike, so long as the lives of our citizens are not endangered." Aloni sees any continuation of the present impasse as dangerous to Israel, and argues that the government should take real risks and explore all avenues which might ease the crisis. "Even if people who say the Arabs are only interested in destroying Israel are 99 per cent right, the 1 per cent chance for peace must not be ignored."

EHUD OLMERT and Shulmit Aloni represent important factions in Israeli political thought, but they are not part of the governing coalition, simply members of parliament. The Rabin government is walking a middle-ground tightrope between their positions. If war doesn't disrupt the entire situation, as well it might, it will probably be possible for Rabin to continue to maintain his stance for some time, while he waits and hopes for a change in world power configurations to work to Israel's advantage. But Rabin knows that Israelis will not allow him to postpone a decision for long. For the psychological trauma of waiting in uncertainty is difficult to endure.