President Obama should make a trip to the region soon to signal a renewed commitment to helping resolve the conflict between Palestine and Israel, says CFR's Robert Danin.

Both presidential candidates vow strong support for Israeli security, with Mitt Romney criticizing the Obama administration for distancing the United States from Israel.

The Israeli and Palestinian leaders focused on different conflicts in their UN speeches, underscoring the difficult path for Washington in the region, writes CFR's Robert Danin.

Palestinian Authority president Abbas gave these remarks to the UN General Assembly on September 27, 2012.

CFR's James M. Lindsay discusses the signing of the Oslo Accords on September 13, 1993, including the secret negotiations that produced the agreement, what its terms stipulated, and how it failed to produce lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

In his testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia, Elliott Abrams argues that "corruption is an insidious destroyer not only of Palestinian public finance but of faith in the entire political system."

Elliott Abrams argues that the Arab-Israeli peace process has never been more irrelevant to developments in the Middle East.

Elliott Abrams says that while former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert claims he had very nearly clinched a peace deal with the Palestinians before leaving office, an agreement was in fact not at hand.

Benjamin Netanyahu's agreement with the Kadima Party reflects a public more concerned about economic and social issues than whether to strike Iran, says CFR's Robert M. Danin.

Elliott Abrams says PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas's letter to Benjamin Netanyahu is unlikely to advance the cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace.

The Hamas-Fatah unity deal reflects Palestinian efforts to find new patrons and new sources of support in the region, says CFR's Robert M. Danin.

Robert M. Danin states, "Monday's Fatah-Hamas unity agreement announced in Doha marks the latest in a series of unimplemented accords between the two Palestinian adversaries."

Elliott Abrams discusses Iceland's decision to recognize Palestine as a state.

Palestinians are committed to a two-state solution despite losing a UN membership bid, says Mideast expert Daniel Levy, but moving forward requires addressing Israeli political entrenchment and a lack of Palestinian unity.

Following full UNESCO membership, Palestinians have increased efforts for statehood recognition, but the United States is continuing its push to bring them back to the negotiating table for direct talks, says CFR Mideast expert Robert Danin.

The prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas could indicate a shift in Hamas' willingness to deal with Israel, but the release of convicted terrorists could also mean renewed violence, says former U.S. ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk.

Elliott Abrams examines Israel's decision to free over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have failed miserably.

The greatest danger to Israel comes not from without—in the form of Palestinian intransigence—but from within.

Israeli settlements—and the military occupation needed to defend them—present a central obstacle to peace and to the creation of a viable Palestinian state.