Israel-Palestine Latest: A "48-Hour Window" for West Jerusalem's Decision on US Incentives

On Monday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised West Jerusalem's willingness to embrace Washington's package of incentives: "This is a very promising development and a serious effort by Prime Minister Netanyahu."

Meanwhile, a diplomat familiar with the details of the US offer, which hopes to bring a resumption of direct Israel-Palestine talks, said Israel would be allowed to finish hundreds of apartments already under construction in West Bank settlements.

Still, opposition continues in Israel. Dissenters from Netanyahu's Likud Party met in the Knesset with leaders of the settlers. In the Cabinet, Moshe Ya'alon, Silvan Shalom, and Bennie Begin will vote against the Prime Minister. "We have a 48-hour window to do something before the cabinet decision," Information and Diaspora Minister Yuli Edelstein said on Monday.  

Defense Minister Ehud Barak is quite cross with those campaigning to reject the proposal. Talking to Army Radio, he said:

There are two options. Either we reach understandings with the Americans to find a way to force the Palestinians to sit around the negotiating table, or the Palestinians and the Arab world will reach understanding with the Americans and it will be us eating frogs.

On the other side, Hesham Youssef, an official with the office of the Secretary-General of the Arab League, stated on Monday that the League is waiting to see what Israel and the US are going to offer. Nevertheless, he added: "If the news is true about there being a settlement freeze that excludes Jerusalem and that takes the criticism off Israel, I cannot imagine that would be acceptable to the Palestinian side or the Arab side."

There was one minor compromise, as Netanyahu succeeded in getting a delay in the plan for 1,300 new housing units in the Gilo neighborhood beyond the 1967 border. Still, Washington is getting worried. 

The State Department's P. J. Crowley said, "At the start of this process, we felt that an agreement could be reached within 12 months. We still think an agreement can be reached. If it takes 12 --- if we can do it in 12 months, that would still be our goal." However, he then added: "I can't stand here and say, you know, do we have to reset the clock to, you know, September or October of next year."

In other words, the US is pleading, "We want this peace within 12 months. However, it seems that we might fall behind our schedule if you guys are insistent on waiting for a Messiah." And in that case, as both President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu draw closer to elections in 2012, will Washington walk away?