France's Dec. 22 announcement of a second Paris Middle East peace conference to take place Jan. 15 hardly surprised Israelis. With the adoption the next day of UN Security Council Resolution 2334 affirming the illegality of West Bank settlements, however, they could not help but wonder whether the two steps had been coordinated.

Regardless of this and a disagreement over whether the conference had been rescheduled to guarantee the participation and input of US Secretary of State John Kerry, Israel had already made up its mind. The prime minister’s office declined the invitation even before Paris confirmed the date, reiterating that Israel will only engage in direct negotiations with the Palestinians. Many Israelis agree with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his refusal to take part in the conference, but what exactly is the conference expected to produce? A declaration? A working plan? The basis for another Security Council resolution? It seems that much has been written about Netanyahu's rejection, but little about the actual conference.

To clarify, Netanyahu did not turn down an invitation to the conference per se, but declined an invitation to meet in Paris with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas immediately after the gathering. The French had hoped that a double-track approach — first a conference and then a separate meeting between the Israelis and Palestinians to present them with the conference recommendations in a discrete setting and away from cameras — might convince the Israeli premier to participate. Alas, it did not work.

According to the French plan, a double-track approach made perfect sense, because the aim of the conference is to prepare a benefits package, which can be assembled without the two opposing sides being present. The idea behind the package is to entice the Israelis and Palestinians into eventually reopening negotiations.