A week ago Thursday, President Obama delivered a speech from the Cairo University in Egypt. Directed at Muslims throughout the Middle East and the world, Obama spoke eloquently about the need to mend relations between the Islamic world and the West. He addressed many concerns of the United States and asked for cooperation to forge a better world for all. Most important to me were President Obama's comments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After hearing Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions Director Jeff Halper lecture last Wednesday before President Obama's speech and reading the speech on Thursday, I can offer these reflections.

A step in the right direction. In Thursday's speech, President Obama took a step in the right direction towards peace in the Middle East. It's obvious that he realizes how critical forming a lasting peace in Israel and Palestine is to securing peace throughout the region, and even the world. Jeff Halper said that Obama needed to put this conflict into the American public perspective in order to get anywhere. Obama did just that by saying, "The only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security. That is in Israel's interest, Palestine's interest, America's interest, and the world's interest."

Only one step in the right direction. Obama said some really encouraging things, but he didn't outline any plans for disengagment or any next steps. He warned Israel that illegal settlement expansion should stop. On the ground, it is quite apparent that settlements are not wimpy shanty towns that could be dismantled and moved back into Israel proper. Settlements are huge, well-constructed towns with shops and schools. If there is to be a lasting solution in the near future, Obama will have to work very hard.

It's strange to think how the general mood regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has changed since I first arrived in late August. At the time, we had a president with terrible approval ratings at home whom no one here liked. The Israeli activists I heard speak were nearly hopeless. The Palestinian activists just kept plugging along, not really expecting anything good to come from the U.S. While most people still don't like to be optimistic regarding the future of the political situation, I feel there is a renewed glimmer of hope for the two-state solution. In a recent panel discussion hosted by the Israel-Palestine Center for Reseach and Information, Dr. Gershon Baskin said that there are certain givens in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that the international community has already decided. "There is a change in Washington, which means the quartet will be used as the primary mechanism for resolving the conflict. The issue of Palestinian statehood has already been decided by the international community. Its directives will unfold over the years. The Security Council has stated it will replace Resolution 242 as a reference point .The Council has also decided on the size of the Palestinian state and that its borders be based on the 1967 demarcation line. Israel will no longer be able to annex territory, which includes land in a Jerusalem that will be the capital of two states." At the beginning of my year here, I don't think anyone would have said this.

For the full transcript or to watch the video of President Obama's speech in Cairo, click here.