Rabin May Offer Deal to Palestinians

ISMAILIYA, Egypt Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin suggestedWednesday that he is willing to offer concessions and incentives toPalestinians if they come to the next round of peace talks Tuesday inWashington.

He implied that Israel would break at least two taboosconcerning Palestinian deportees and the makeup of the Palestiniandelegation once the talks resume.

"I don't want to enter into details," he told reporters aftermeeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in their secondEgyptian summit in nine months. "We are here to bring about thebeginning of the process. . . . I am much more hopeful - and Istress hopeful - that peace negotiations will be resumed."

Israel's talks with Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Palestinianscollapsed with the deportation in mid-December of 415 men alleged byIsrael to be activists in Muslim extremist groups. In the last twoweeks, though, the logjam appeared to be easing. Rumors of possibleIsraeli offers to the Palestinians to ease economic and human-rightsconditions in the occupied territories have been rampant. Nothinghas been clearly confirmed, although both Arab and Israeli newspapershave outlined as many as 10 specific steps and guarantees that Israelmight offer.

One likely Israeli offer, already discussed in the Israelipress, would be to negotiate face-to-face with Palestinian leaderFaisal Husseini, a Jerusalem resident who had been barred from thetalks by Israel on the grounds that his inclusion would imply thatthe question of Israel's claim to Jerusalem would be on the table.

A second expected gesture would be Israel's agreement to permitthe return of up to 100 of the 2,500 Palestinians deported from theoccupied territories between 1967 and 1987, when the Palestinianuprising, known as the intifada, began.