Israel: Got what it wants

In sharp contrast, Israel swiftly welcomed the message from Washington, with its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voicing "a genuine desire" for peace.

An Israeli official who preferred not to be named told Xinhua that the U.S. plan, declared after full communication with the Israeli leadership, meets Israel's requirements.

In his response, Netanyahu twice underlined the term "without preconditions," a condition his government has been trying to impose on reviving direct talks with the Palestinians.

The explicit mention of "without preconditions" in Clinton's announcement is regarded as a victory for Israel, whose hardline settlement policy enraged the Palestinians and even once strained its ties with Washington.

The traditionally hawkish Israeli premier on Sunday reiterated his "genuine desire" to reach a peace agreement, saying that "reaching an agreement is a difficult challenge but is possible."

Meanwhile, he once again stressed Israel's key conditions: A future Palestinian state must be demilitarized, recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people and guarantee Israel's security.

Some of these demands have already been rejected by the Palestinians, including the Jewish nature of Israel. While recognizing Israel's right to exist, the Palestinians refuse to specify its nature, fearing that recognizing Israel as a Jewish state would compromise the right of return of Palestinian refugees displaced around Israel's establishment in 1948.

U.S.: with eyes on the election

The gusto with which the U.S. government under President Barack Obama wants to tackle the labyrinthine Middle East peace process, analysts said, stems from concerns about domestic politics.

Clearly, the hard-won resumption of direct Israeli-Palestinian talks marks an important diplomatic achievement of the Obama administration, which has listed the Mideast peace process among its top priorities upon its inauguration.

The progress, capping one and a half years of shuttle diplomacy, is expected to help polish the image of Obama's Democratic Party ahead of the November mid-term election and dispel the popular anti-incumbent sentiment.

Meanwhile, should a peace deal be reached within a year, namely around September 2011, Obama would savor a success none of his predecessors has ever savored just as he runs for reelection. The potential benefit is obvious.

In addition, an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal might also pave the way for Israel to realize peace with Syria and Lebanon and thus bring peace to the whole Middle East. Should it come true, the cause would be remembered as Obama's political legacy.