ABSTRACT
The Palestinians felt uneasy and abandoned as the Sunni Arab world shifted its priorities to limiting the growing influence of Iran. One outcome of this shift in focus was that Israel was increasingly being seen as less of an enemy than previously. Benjamin Netanyahu's government took the opportunity to consolidate Israel's hold in the West Bank, expanding settlements and turning a blind eye to settlers' lawless acts against Palestinians. President Obama, while standing solidly behind Israel, clearly indicated his determination to work toward the goal of a two-state solution but had been unable to persuade the two sides to continue direct negotiations during his first term. Little progress was made in the first half of 2013 as both sides found reasons to avoid direct talks. In late April, Kerry met with Arab League leaders in Washington to discuss possible changes to the Saudi 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which had been reendorsed by the Arab League in 2007.
