Friendlier US-Israeli Talks Expected This Time Around

JERUSALEM (July 5) -- Tuesday's meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama in Washington will look and feel very different from their last meeting in March, when no joint news conference was held, no official photographs were released and an Israeli newspaper declared "the worst crisis in U.S.-Israel relations in decades."

This time, there are likely to be many pictures of a smiling Netanyahu clasping hands with Obama, and there is the promise of a joint news conference. The tone will be friendly and Netanyahu will be able to show the Israeli public that relations between the allies are back on track.

"Netanyahu learned his lesson and there are fewer reasons for conflict with the U.S.," Shlomo Brom, a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, told AOL News. "There have been no major projects in Jerusalem and the settlement freeze on building in the West Bank has basically been kept."

Israel has also welcomed the new sanctions on Iran. The Iranian News agency reported that Germany, Britain and the United Arab Emirates refused to provide fuel to Iranian passenger jets following U.S.-imposed sanctions.

But there are a series of issues that could introduce new tensions into the relationship. Netanyahu's announced nine-month freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank expires in September. Settler leaders have already started a campaign against extending that freeze.

Obama will ask Netanyahu to commit to an extension of the freeze, and it is expected that the issue of continued Israeli construction in East Jerusalem will be raised again.

Netanyahu has said he hopes Tuesday's meeting will lead to direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians instead of the current indirect talks. Palestinian officials say not enough progress has been made to enable the two sides to move to direct talks. Netanyahu is expected to tell Obama that he cannot commit to extending the West Bank settlements freeze without a promise from the Palestinians for direct talks.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is scheduled to meet later today with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in what will be their first meeting since February. Barak upped the ante for Netanyahu in his meeting with Obama, calling for Netanyahu to present a detailed peace plan.

"Israel must take the bull by the horns and present a clear initiative that discusses drawing a border in Israel in such a way that settlement blocs along the border will remain in our hands and have a solid Jewish majority for generations, but in a way that will enable the establishment of an independent and demilitarized Palestinian state," he said.

Another issue will be Israel's continued refusal to allow large amounts of cement, iron and other raw materials into Gaza to rebuild homes destroyed in fighting between Israel and Hamas 18 months ago.

Last month Israel announced it will lift the three-year-old embargo of Gaza after growing international criticism following Israel's raid on a Gaza aid flotilla that left nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists dead. Today, Israel announced its new policy for Gaza, saying that all consumer goods and many raw materials may be allowed in.

But human rights groups say the decision does not go far enough.

"Since the Cabinet decision, the volume of civilian goods allowed into Gaza has been expanded, but it still meets only 30 percent of what is needed," Sari Bashi, the director of the Israeli advocacy group Gisha told AOL News. "Israel continues to block the transfer of raw materials needed for industry and trade. Even if raw materials were permitted, because of the dependence of Gaza's manufacturing sector on export, economic recovery will not occur unless Israel resumes permitting Gaza residents to sell their products to the West Bank, Israel and countries abroad."

There are also looming tensions over the issue of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Israel has refused to sign.

Netanyahu hopes that these tensions will remain under the surface at least until after his joint news conference with Obama.