In 2007, the Bush administration held a conference in Annapolis that brought together the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, and the head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. This was the first time all sides were able to agree on a two state solution as the path toward a lasting peace deal between Israel and Palestinians. Nearly two years later, Obama has managed to get the two parties back into the same room, but only after dropping his own preconditions for the talks — a complete Israeli freeze on all settlement expansion in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The White House announces: