Palestinian refusal to return to the negotiating table even if a 90-day settlement freeze is in place has delayed the anticipated agreement between Israel and the US for a package of incentives in exchange for such a moratorium, The Jerusalem Post has learned from sources close to the issue.
As a result, there is no formal document to date which sets out the terms of the incentive package which was hammered out last Thursday in a day-long meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Netanyahu has insisted that only once he has such a document, will he bring it to the 15-member Security Cabinet for approval.
The Cabinet is set to hold its weekly meeting on Wednesday, but at present, the 90-day freeze is not on the agenda.
Terms of the proposed deal, as presented to the Cabinet by Netanyahu were:
An Israeli insistence on receiving written guarantees that Jewish construction can continue in east Jerusalem, even during the 90-day freeze; the US would pledge not to pressure Israel into extending the freeze or imposing a new one; the US would promise to veto any Palestinian unilateral initiatives in the United Nations Security Council; the US would clarify that during the negotiations, the issue of borders would be dealt with in the context of other cores issues and not become a separate issue.
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