The White House on Thursday denied that President Barack Obama, seen in this file photo, had sent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a letter outlining inducements designed to preserve his fragile peace drive.
Photograph by: ., Reuters
WASHINGTON - The White House on Thursday denied that President Barack Obama had sent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a letter outlining inducements designed to preserve his fragile peace drive.
The denial came after a U.S. analyst with ties to Obama team member Dennis Ross, posted an online article outlining inducements Obama puportedly offered Netanyahu in return for a two-month extension of a settlement moratorium.
The Palestinians have threatened to walk away from direct U.S.-monitored peace talks with Israel after Netanyahu declined to extend the 10-month moratorium, which expired on Sunday.
"No letter was sent to Prime Minister Netanyahu. We're not going to comment on sensitive diplomatic matters," said Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman, as intense U.S. efforts continued to save the peace talks from collapse.
David Makovsky, a commentator with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, wrote that a draft U.S. letter was agreed between Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and chief Israeli netotiator Yitzhak Molcho.
He said it was ultimately sent from Obama's desk to Netanyahu and offered assurances, ranging from peace and security matters to future weapons deliveries in the event of an Israeli deal with the Palestinians.
According to Makovsky, Netanyahu was minded not to accept the offer.
Makovsky wrote a recent book on the Middle East entitled "Myths, Illusions and Peace" with Ross, who heads Iran policy for Obama, and has been involved in recent U.S. efforts to promote the Israeli-Palestinian track.
He said the letter pledged the United States would not ask Israel for another extension of the moratorium after 60 days and would veto any UN Security Council resolution on the peace talks for a one-year negotiating period.
Makovsky also said the U.S. side pledged to accept the legitimacy of Israeli security needs, and to maintain a transitional period for security in the Jordan Valley beyond any other aspect of the eventual peace deal.
Netanyahu has insisted on keeping Israeli troops on the eastern borders of a future Palestinian state. The Palestinians have rejected the idea.
The purported U.S. offer would also commit Washington to upping the military technology it would make available to Israel in the event of any deal with the Palestinians, including warplanes, missile defense systems and access to satellite early warning systems.
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