The new deal between the U.S. and Israel, that would give Israel 20 hyper modern F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets in return for a 90-day extension of its freeze on construction in the West Bank, has yet to win the approval of the Israeli government.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs the approval before he can restart negotiations with the Palestinians, but the vote on the offer is being held up over confusion concerning the inclusion of East Jerusalem in the new freeze or not.
Israeli media reported Wednesday that Netanyahu's office is sending out mixed signals on the issue of East Jerusalem. If the new freeze were to include East Jerusalem, Netanyahu will have a much harder time selling the deal to his right-wing allies in his government.
Following intense talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the agreement, estimated with a 3-billion-U.S. dollar worth, was presented as a solution to break the deadlock in the Middle East negotiations.
However, analysts told Xinhua that there is a doubt in Israel over the lack of a formal letter from U.S. before moving forward, and in addition some doubts over what a new freeze would achieve.
Prof. Efraim Inbar, director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at the Bar-Ilan University outside Tel Aviv told Xinhua that there is skepticism in Israel regarding the seriousness of Washington's latest offer, as it has not been formalized in writing.
"The Israelis are not settling for oral commitments because they are suspicious that it will not be honored," he said.
In the past, Israeli leaders have been used to formal letters from U.S. presidents to push through ideas. Perhaps the most famous example is the letter former U.S. President George W. Bush reportedly sent in 2004 to then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
In the letter, Bush outlined his support for Sharon's disengagement plan which led to the end of Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip. In order for Sharon to sell the idea of disengagement which was extremely controversial in Israel and among members of his government, Bush promised to support Israeli demands in future negotiations.
Inbar also said that there is very little that the U.S. could do to convince the Palestinians to return to the negotiations table as the options of what Washington can offer is limited to aid and upgrade the diplomatic relations.
The view was partially shared by Dr. Nabil Kukali, director of the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion in Ramallah. He told Xinhua that, indeed, there is very little that the U.S. can offer the Palestinians except for increasing the finical support.
Asked whether or not there is a general feeling of disappointment among the Palestinians that the U.S. has only made a new offer to Israel, Kukali said "the Palestinians has always thought that the U.S. is not a fair ruler, that's why we are not surprised."
Kukali is of the opinion that the most important thing for the Obama administration, if it wants to be a successful mediator between the Israelis and the Palestinians, is to be "in the middle " and not be closer to either of the two sides.
According to Dr. Jonathan Spyer, a senior research fellow at Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) at the Inter- Disciplinary Center in Herzliya, the most important thing for the Palestinians is the freeze plan to include East Jerusalem, which Israel refuses.
While there has been some speculation that the absence of any formal writing might indicate that the U.S. new offer might only be a trial balloon, Dr. Dan Schueftan, director of the National Security Studies Center at the University of Haifa told Xinhua that the deal is real, and it is also a sign of desperation of the Obama administration.
"They could not find a more efficient way," he said, referring to Washington's policy on the settlement issue.
In addition, the Palestinians and the Israelis are not wholeheartedly interested in negotiations, hence leaving the U.S. in a situation where it can't push things forward, said Schueftan.
XINHUA
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