Ben-Eliezer: Netanyahu will surprise us with 'serious' Syria talks

By Yossi Verter, Haaretz Correspondent

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to conduct "serious

negotiations" with the Palestinians and the Syrians, Minister

Benjamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) told Haaretz. The full interview will

appear Friday in Week's End.

"Netanyahu is going to surprise us all," said Ben-Eliezer, who is

industry, trade and employment minister, after several tete-a-tetes

with the prime minister over the past month.

He said Netanyahu had assured him, both before and after he set up

the government, that he would continue negotiating with the Syrians.

Regarding the Palestinians, Netanyahu's plan will be based on a two- state solution, said Ben-Eliezer.

"It's not the same Bibi," Ben-Eliezer said. "He's much more open,

patient and relaxed. He's not alarmed or dogmatic. Something happened

to him. He realizes that he cannot afford another crash like the one

in his previous term.

"He understands that there's a new administration in the United

States, which is neither the Clinton Administration nor the Bush

administration, and that if we don't come up with a peace plan,

someone else will call the shots for us."

"If we find that Bibi lied to us, we'll quit [the coalition]," said

Ben-Eliezer, who is a member of the security cabinet.

He said that he and Netanyahu believe the Iranian issue should be

solved diplomatically, not militarily.

Ben-Eliezer said the Labor Knesset members who objected to party

chairman Ehud Barak's decision to enter the coalition were

"terrorizing" the party, and called their conduct over Barak's

dismissal of party secretary general Eitan Cabel "insanity."