Obama's speech: Five ways Netanyahu can respond

Faced with the Arab Spring, a Palestinian statehood push at the UN, President Barack Obama's Middle East policy speech May 19, and jittery constituents at home, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under pressure to make a decisive move. Here are five options.

Declare a short-term settlement freeze
Advantages: It would force the Palestinians to return to peace negotiations and could slow or even halt their statehood campaign at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Disadvantages: If the sides don’t achieve a breakthrough within the window of the freeze, they’ll be back at Square 1. Netanyahu will look to supporters like he’s caved to outside pressure, potentially destabilizing his coalition.

Evacuate illegal outposts
Advantages: It is a gesture to the Palestinians that would signal a willingness to evacuate settlements and could build confidence by confronting some of his own backers. To the international community, Netanyahu would become the first prime minister to make good on Israeli promises to the US to evacuate the unauthorized settlements. Domestically, most Israelis are likely to support dismantling outposts, which even Israel says are illegal.

Disadvantages: It would force a showdown – possibly even physical – with the most ideological wing of settler movement and alienate other supporters.

Preemptive endorsement of a Palestinian state
Advantages: Israel looks like it is taking the initiative and is out in front of the US. It could potentially persuade the Palestinians to resume peace talks to hammer out borders and security. Endorsing the 1967 borders would lock the Palestinians into a two-state solution and undercut their demands for Palestinian refugees to be allowed to return to Israel.

Disadvantages: Endorsing the 1967 borders would force Israel to withdraw from most of the West Bank, which would create a rift with the settlers and would likely mean a coalition crisis.

Staying the course
These two options probably won’t stop the Palestinian statehood drive, but will allow Netanyahu to keep his coalition.

Offer Palestinian authority expanded jurisdiction over West Bank territory

Advantages: Israel could expand the Palestinian Authority’s rule by transferring parts of the West Bank to their control. Right-wing backers would grumble, but would ultimately stick with him.

Disadvantages: The gesture isn’t likely to be enough to persuade the Palestinians to abandon its plan to declare statehood at the UN and return to talks.

Diplomatic pushback against Palestinian statehood

Advantages: Lobbying European nations to oppose the statehood resolution could deny the Palestinians of the support of international players like Germany and France. Alternatively, Israel could push for the resolution to be watered down.

Disadvantages: Even if Israel could persuade the European countries, Israel would still lose the vote at the UN's General Assembly, which includes all 192 members of the international body. Israel would expose the US to isolation at the UN.

Retaliate against UN resolution by annexing West Bank territory
Advantages: Plays to Netanyahu’s core supporters.

Disadvantages: Provokes conflict with international community and leads to isolation, as well as possible Palestinian clashes with Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

This article, "," first appeared on CSMonitor.com