*Illustrated with dozens of pictures of leaders and places *Includes Table of Contents In May 2011, President Barack Obama gave speeches about the Middle East that discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, using terms like “final status issues,” “1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps,” and “demographic realities.” Obama’s speeches were strongly denounced by both the Palestinians and the Israelis, while political commentators across the world debated what Obama’s speeches actually meant. Four months later, in September, the Palestinians sought statehood at the United Nations. Why would the Palestinians go to the U.N. after President Obama had made clear for months that the U.S. would ultimately prevent any attempt at Palestinian statehood with its veto in the Security Council? Welcome to the Middle East conflict, a conflict that is technically 63 years old and counting but has its roots in over 2,000 years of history. With so much time and history, the peace process has become laden with unique, politically sensitive concepts like the right of return, contiguous borders, secure borders, demilitarized zones, and security requirements, with players like the Quartet, Palestinian Authority, Fatah, Hamas, the Arab League and Israel. Over time, it has become exceedingly difficult for even sophisticated political pundits and followers to keep track of it all.