The two major Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, the party led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have signed a historic accord to form a unity government. Fatah governs the West Bank, while Hamas, an Islamic group, controls the Gaza Strip. The agreement ends a four-year split.  Back in 2007 Hamas pushed out forces loyal to Mahmoud Abbas from Gaza, one year after winning government elections.

Since the Six-Day War in 1967, American presidents have tried long and hard to encourage peace in the Middle East. After he helped ink the Camp David Accords, former President Jimmy Carter insightfully warned that peace would not come easily. "The questions that have brought warfare and bitterness to the Middle East for the last thirty years will not be settled overnight," he said. Now, six presidencies and thirty years later, lasting peace has yet to be achieved.

Pay close attention to the current conflict between Israel and Palestine, because not only is it incredibly important, but also because you may be witnessing President-elect Barack Obama’s first order of business when he takes office next month. But how will his global political debut mesh with his first foray into middle eastern diplomacy? And what is at risk? Robert Malley, who is the Middle East and North Africa Program Director for the International Crisis Group and served as Special Assistant to President Clinton for Arab Israeli Affairs, joins John and Adaora from Washington.