Israeli officials have reported that a new offer has been made to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to give up on attempting to secure any international recognition of statehood in return for permission for the PNA to develop natural gas fields off the Gaza coast and freedom of some 50 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.

“Over the last five weeks, Israel has initiated a whole series of confidence-building measures in order to create an atmosphere that will encourage the Palestinians to return to direct talks,” an Israeli official was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel on Sunday. “However, if the Palestinians do follow through on their threat and unilaterally seek statehood at the UN,” the official added, “that would be a move in the wrong direction and would necessitate an Israeli response.”

It is not known at what level the offer was made if indeed one was made. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat has expressed surprise at the report.

It could mean that Israel is testing the Palestinian waters.

The offer of permission to develop the gas fields could potentially be a lucrative source of income for the PNA. Gas deposits there are estimated to be worth $ 4 billion. However, the PA would only be entitled to 10 per cent of the money, as Israel has already granted the majority of the rights to British Gas.

British Gas’ rights to the gas field have been controversial over the past several years, with hawkish Israeli officials sometimes accusing others of not supporting Gaza invasions in an effort not to ruin the deal with British Gas, according to observers.

In any event, the Palestinians would not be drawn into what is effectively a sacrifice of their right to independent statehood.

Their continued effort to secure UN recognition of their notional statehood is worrying Israel because of the impact it has on the international level.

Palestinian resident Mahmoud Abbas is said to be planning to turn to the UN General Assembly in September and seek to continue the process for Palestine to be recognised as a non-member state.

In September last year, Abbas launched an effort for UN membership for Palestine, but the United States threatened to veto the move in the Security Council, and the Palestinians could not muster the votes in the Council to force the veto. Washington subsequently cut funding to other UN bodies which admitted the Palestinians as members.

Now the Palestinians, who currently have observer status at the UN, are said to be considering seeking a resolution at the upcoming General Assembly session that would grant them the status of a non-member state, similar to the Vatican.

Such status will allow the Palestinians to approach the International Court of Justice or the International Criminal Court, where it could mount legal challenges to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem.

Israel does not want this to happen and hence its effort to dissuade the Palestinians from pursuing the effort. Israel’s allies, mainly the US, could also be expected to exert pressure on the PNA. But, the Palestinians, who, for the first time since the creation of Israel in their land in 1948, are making decisions based on Palestinian national interests, would not be dissuaded from pursuing their cause of independent statehood.