After long hours of discussion, a senior diplomatic-security forum that met last week [March 24] to discuss the immediate implications of a breakdown in the negotiations with the Palestinians released a pessimistic and worrisome report. The participants in the forum, which was sponsored by one of Israel’s leading research institutions, had played key roles for years on the diplomatic and security fronts, some of them until only recently. The purpose of this brainstorming session was to present potential scenarios in advance of the seemingly inevitable breakdown of the talks with the Palestinians.

Although there have long been similar prognoses of Israel’s diplomatic isolation should there be no peace process, the picture painted this time is even more depressing than usual. There was unanimity at the table that a negative outcome of the talks — renewed in June 2013 — would place Israel in an even more diplomatically problematic situation.

According to the forum’s participants, the immediate implications might be: international legitimization of the Palestinian appeal to the UN for recognition, with European backing, and a parallel intensification of the settlement boycott phenomenon — with it leaking across the Green Line — causing harm to the Israeli economy. And as if that were not enough, the members of the forum also estimated that the United States would be left feeling disappointed and hurt if the negotiations fell apart, after taking every conceivable step to ensure that they succeed. And so, the US would reduce its involvement in the region, start sitting on the fence and avoid helping us in all matters pertaining to Israel’s legitimacy in Europe.

It is reasonable to assume that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is very familiar with their assessments, and that he is aware of the severe implications of a blow-up in the negotiations with the Palestinians. Otherwise, what reason could he possibly have to try to buy more time for the negotiations, which were supposed to end on April 29?