ABSTRACT
The years 2010–2013 saw some significant shifts in the various relationships that make up the Arab–Israeli conflict, but by the spring of 2013 any solution to the issues appeared more remote than ever. During 2010, little progress was made despite the efforts of Washington and the European Union to facilitate direct or even indirect talks between the political leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Israel. President Obama had not achieved the breakthrough in ending the conflict he had hoped for at the start of his term, but in January 2010, he dispatched George Mitchell as Middle East special envoy to the area in a new effort to restart peace negotiations. On March 3, foreign ministers of the Arab League, meeting in Cairo, supported an American proposal that Palestinians hold indirect, or proximity, talks with Israel. Political upheaval and economic uncertainty continued in the Arab world through the spring of 2013.
