Palestinians are voicing outrage over a sweeping package of U.S. incentives to coax Israel to partially freeze settlement expansion for just three months. The Obama administration has reportedly offered to give Israel 20 advanced F-35 warplanes worth around $3 billion and to veto U.N. resolutions seeking Middle East peace. The freeze would not be extended after 90 days and also would not apply to occupied East Jerusalem. Palestinian lawmaker Hanan Ashrawi said Israel was being rewarded for agreeing to temporarily pause the seizure of occupied land.

Hanan Ashrawi: “So Israel is gaining all sorts of strategic gains in order to minimize and postpone its theft of Palestinian land for three months. This is unacceptable. I wonder what they will give Israel if we start asking for the dismantlement of settlements or if we get to a situation where we are signing an agreement.”

The Israeli cabinet is preparing to vote on the proposal but says it’s waiting on a formal letter from the Obama administration. At her news conference in Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declined to offer details but praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for supporting the deal.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “With respect to the Middle East, this is a very promising development and a serious effort by Prime Minister Netanyahu. I don’t want to go into the details today, but I will say that we’re in very close touch with both the Israelis and the Palestinians, working intensively to create the conditions for the resumption of negotiations that can lead to a two-state solution and a comprehensive peace in the region.”