The Trump administration abandoned past official US objections to the building of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, as illegal or at least as “obstructions to peace.” The new policy supported Israeli settlement building.

Iran’s internal politics are also to play a role in Iran-US relations under Biden. Trump’s unilateral approach that caused much economic hardships effectively delegitimized the Rouhani administration’s foreign policy approach of constructive engagement—and the moderate/reformist views on foreign policy in the Iranian political scene.

Analysts say the era of impunity for Saudi Arabia will end under Biden but how much he will do in practice is a difficult question to answer.

Hosting G20 summit put pressure on Saudi Arabia to improve its human rights record and to compromise about war in Yemen. To find out more, read the following article.

For now, the Palestinian leadership’s inability to adjust and reformulate its approach to relations with the US only offers deep dismay and frustration for Palestinians.