Restraint on Request?

Shortly after last month's massacre of Israeli athletes in Munich, Premier Golda Meir angrily announced a "farflung" war against Arab terrorists. But after a bloody raid inside neighboring Lebanon -- in which some 200 Arabs were killed -- the Israelis have been unusually restrained. The reason, according to some well-placed Israelis: two weeks ago a White House aide -- in a direct call to Mrs. Meir -- asked Jerusalem to refrain from disturbing the peace for the immediate future. The same message was passed to Israel's Washington embassy, which was told that Lebanon needed at least a month or so to contain the fedayeen. That could have the effect of restraining Israel until after the presidential elections.

White House officials deny that the election had anything to do with U.S. calls for moderation in the Middle East. Besides, they note, Israeli politicians might leak such a story for their own political purposes. By suggesting U.S. pressures now, the Israelis could be indicating U.S. support and close coordination with Washington.

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