With the White House in the midst of meetings with the Middle East’s leaders, some notable changes in posture occurred likely as a result of the discussions. Mere days following the first meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli government dismantled a small settlement consisting of seven huts. The gesture towards acquiescing to U.S. demands represents some level of acceptance by the new government that Israel may adhere to a new regional peace proposal developed by the White House.
Similarly, the Palestinians also agreed to some concessions, including relinquishing sovereignty over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as part of obtaining statehood. The area includes both Jewish and Muslim religious sites that currently remain under Israeli military control although Muslim officials administer affairs on the Muslim portion. The Palestinian Authority stated that it would permit the Organization of Islamic Conferences, a Saudi institution, to administer the site instead of the PA. Similarly, some officials claim that Hamas refrained from attacking Israel in recent weeks (even though some Qassam rockets did land in the Negev) in an effort to ease tensions with Egypt.
