国际英语新闻:News Analysis: Israelis and Palestinians adjust to new reality under Trump administration

JERUSALEM, March 14 (Xinhua) -- As Palestinians initially concerned and Israelis elated, both sides are still testing the waters when it comes to how U.S. President Donald Trump will manage the decades-long conflict.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received a phone call from U.S. President Donald Trump a few days ago inviting him for an official visit to the White House.

The call came almost two months after Trump's inauguration concurrent with Palestinian fears of being sidelined by a supposedly new pro-Israeli administration.

Meanwhile, Jason Greenblatt, Trump's international negotiations envoy, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is scheduled to meet with Abbas.

Prior to these recent developments, media reports claimed that Palestinians were being ignored by the new American administration.

Reportedly, calls went unanswered, whereas Netanyahu spoke to Trump several times and was invited to the White House.

Ghassan Khatib, a former Palestinian politician and a senior lecturer at Birzeit University in the West Bank, said the fears were quite genuine.

"The Palestinian side felt neglected by the new administration," said Khatib.

Not only was there initially no contact with the Palestinian side, but in addition, "They felt they (the new administration) were more biased towards Israel."

Throughout his campaign, Trump made several statements that fomented Abbas' fears.

Following eights years of a sympathetic administration in the White House, Trump signaled he would abandon previous notions which almost became the default American policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

However, once in the Oval Office, Trump appears to be distancing himself from his campaign promises.

He had said he would move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, which Palestinians see as part of their future state.

Once president, Trump immediately became less forceful on the issue.

Trump also had said he did not view the West Bank Israeli settlements as an obstacle to peace between both rivals.

On the other hand, Palestinians consider settlements as a severe obstacle toward their statehood goal.

After meeting with Netanyahu, the American president changed his rhetoric, asking the Israeli premier "to hold off on settlements a little bit."

This was reportedly also communicated to Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman during his recent visit to the U.S.

Reality is settling in for both sides - Israel's right-wing government was certain of a carte blanche toward settlement construction and Palestinians feared being ignored by the new administration.

Currently, both Abbas and Netanyahu need to adjust to a new reality.

For Palestinians, relief followed the invitation to the White House, although the meeting has yet to be scheduled.

"They (the Trump administration) realize they cannot address only one side of the conflict," said Khatib.

He adds that in recent weeks Palestinians have been informed to "wait and not jump to conclusions just yet as Americans study the issue."

Apparently, when Netanyahu met with Greenblatt in Jerusalem, he aspired to reach an agreement with the American administration on the extent of settlement construction Israel would be permitted in the West Bank.

A press release from the prime minister's office stated that such an agreement was not reached, indicating that Trump was not going to make life easy for the Israeli leader.

"The prime minister and Mr. Greenblatt discussed settlement construction hoping to reach an approach compatible with the goal of advancing peace and security," read the statement.

Ben Caspit, an Israeli political commentator, wrote "Netanyahu is about to realize that his narrow right-wing coalition will render it problematic for him to maneuver in the coming months."

"Any agreements reached must include construction without any restrictions," tweeted a member of Netanyahu's coalition ahead of the meeting with Greenblatt.

Settlement expansion was meticulously handled under former U.S. President Barack Obama, however Palestinians detect a regression.

Previously, any settlement construction was immediately met with American condemnation.

In December 2016, a United Nations Security Council resolution was passed judging all West Bank Israeli settlements illegal.

"The new American administration is less conscious of Israel's illegal behavior," stated Dr. Khatib.

However, Palestinians demand zero-tolerance on the issue.

"If the U.S. will tolerate (Israeli settlements), they will not be able to play a constructive role in negotiations. If they are incompatible with international legislation, then that lead to negative consequences," said Khatib.

The American administration's recent moves shows efforts to jumpstart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations which have been stalled for years.

For Netanyahu's right-wing government, Trump's volte-face regarding his statements is a concern.

In an op-ed in Haaretz newspaper, Chemi Shalev wrote, "once a messiah, Trump could turn out to be the Israeli right's worst nightmare."

Trump expressed his wish to reach a "deal" to solve the conflict throughout his campaign.

While Palestinians were informed to be patient, Khatib is not optimistic.

"Time is quite a problematic foe for Palestinians as Israel exploits this time to construct more settlements, therefore there is little basis for optimism," Khatib lamented, doubtful that Trump's ambiguous approach will bear fruit.