A Promised Land

Chapter 25 addresses events in the Middle East, notably, the Arab-Israel conflict and the Arab Spring. Obama reasserted the US’s commitment to facilitating peace between Israel and Palestine, both as a moral imperative and for reasons of national security. Diplomats led by Clinton coaxed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to the negotiating table. In the meantime, Obama brokered a temporary halt to the construction of new settlements in the West Bank and orchestrated the first face-to-face meeting between Netanyahu and Abbas at the UN General Assembly. Tensions later arose when Netanyahu authorized new settlements in East Jerusalem. The peace process stalled, despite diplomatic overtures by Clinton and others. Abbas later agreed to direct talks thanks to the intervention of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah of Jordan. Obama hosted the three, alongside Netanyahu, at an intimate White House dinner to launch the talks. The Israelis and Palestinians met twice for direct peace talks—the day after the dinner and 12 days later in Egypt. However, Israel refused to extend the settlement freeze, dashing Obama’s hopes of reaching a peace deal.

The Arab Spring, a series of antigovernment uprisings beginning in December of 2010, began as the Obama administration shifted its approach to repressive regimes.