WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 (JTA) — If President Bush dined at Lebanese Taverna in the midst of a major U.S. Middle East peace initiative, he might have faced accusations of bias toward the Arabs. So did President Clinton display a tilt toward Israel last weekend? As his chief Middle East peace envoy arrived in Tel Aviv, Clinton and the first lady broke bread at the Tel Aviv Cafe, a suburban Washington restaurant. Known for its young Jewish dinner crowd, the restaurant has become one of a handful of Middle Eastern hot spots around the nation’s capital. “The food’s great, simply wonderful,” Clinton said, according to a report by a Yediot Achronot correspondent who was at the restaurant last Sunday evening. Chelsea Clinton has dined at the restaurant a handful of times and apparently recommended it to her parents. It didn’t hurt that the owner’s wife is also one of the first lady’s hairdressers. As he drank Maccabi beer, an Israeli import, Clinton munched on a host of Middle Eastern appetizers before digging into a fish and couscous dish. “The atmosphere is great here,” Yediot quoted Clinton as saying. For a while it looked like Clinton’s Tel Aviv trip could backfire against Israel if he held it responsible for breaking his diet. After the waiter brought over a large tray of baklava and other Middle Eastern desserts, Clinton said, “This is going to ruin my diet. But I can’t resist,” according to the report in Israel’s largest daily paper. Clinton left after a warm goodbye from many patrons. “Shalom chaver,” they called out, borrowing Clinton’s farewell to Yitzhak Rabin.
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