The situation in the Palestinian territories will definitely deteriorate if a long-awaited national unity government fails to gain recognition of the West and end sanctions led by the United States, analysts said on Thursday.

As leaders of political powers are negotiating to form the power-sharing government, President Mahmoud Abbas began an Arab and European tour to earn support for his coalition.

"If Abbas fails to earn support for his coalition by the international community, I think it would make no change in the Palestinian situation, no matter whether a new government is established or not," Hani Habib, a Palestinian analyst from Gaza, told Xinhua.

He warned that a stronger wave of infighting in the Palestinian territories could be resumed if efforts to end embargo fail, saying that "this would lead to more frustration, more economic deterioration and more poverty among the people."

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Abbas, said that Abbas' tour was aimed at gaining Arab and European support for the national unity government agreed by both Fatah and Hamas in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

"We are looking forward to breaking the ice, reviving the stalled peace process and ending embargo imposed on the Palestinian people," he said.

With help of the Saudis and Egyptians, leaders of Hamas and Fatah signed an agreement earlier this month in Mecca in order to form a national unity government and end infighting, which was considered as a breakthrough.

But, the Mecca agreement got the cold shoulder from the United States and Israel, therefore Abbas has to exert more effort to gain backup for a Palestinian government that is able to end siege.

Palestinian analysts believe that Abbas is stuck between the hammer of improving the Palestinian situation and the anvil of the West's pressure.

During a three-way meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday, Abbas did not get support either from the United States or Israel for the coming cabinet.

Olmert said that Israel would not recognize any Palestinian government that does not meet major requirements of the international quartet. Olmert did not promise Abbas that peace talks on final status issues could be resumed.

Rice, for her part, vaguely said that "let us wait and see" if the new Palestinian government would fulfill requirements of recognizing Israel, adhering to signed agreements and condemning violence.

Habib said that what Israel and the United States want from the Palestinians could be seen in a designation letter that Abbas gave to Prime Minister Ismail Haneya.

In the letter, Abbas called on the new government to be committed to all the decisions of the Palestinian National Council (PNC) and Arab summits and to signed agreements by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

"PNC and Arab summit decisions are clearly recognizing Israel and signed agreements. I believe that Abbas is a smart politician, as he succeeded in making Hamas accept decisions that recognize Israel," Habib said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 22, 2007)