The Obama Presidency and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

The first ten months of the Obama administration’s efforts to achieve a breakthrough in Arab-Israeli peacemaking have led to widespread disappointment among Palestinians and to growing anxiety among Israelis. Inevitably, this unsatisfactory interim report card is partly a result of the high expectations created by President Barack Obama himself, during the presidential campaign as well as in his inaugural address and following his inauguration. This Brief will first provide an account of the Obama promise to the Middle East, highlighting the innovations characterizing his approach to the region. It will then offer an explanation of what went wrong—of how both the administration and Israeli and Palestinian leaders contributed to wasting this initial period— and set forth options available to the administration if it seeks to overcome the present impasse and jump-start PalestinianIsraeli talks. Finally, it will offer some guidelines for a more promising Middle East peace process.