US efforts between now and March may have to be low profile, but Washington need not be dormant.

This Washington is an alternative vision of what the US-China relationship can be. Here we have a state establishment that is almost 100 percent behind encouraging engagement, and a perception that things are moving well on both sides.

The public is jaded. They think that on the eve of the elections (Netanyahu) is doing things just to capture headlines.

The right wing in Israel will be the clear beneficiaries of these (Palestinian) elections.

The main event is to leverage aid and to make sure the U.S. is not alone.

He has basically got to freeze the peace process to woo back alienated right-wing voters.