In order to find a just and lasting peace and end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is crucial that all concerned parties become engaged in the process. It is vital that the major powers, and the United States in particular, take on and continue to support a dialogue for peace between the two sides.

The most recent gesture by the US administration is encouraging. The administration has asked Congress for minor changes to be made to the law so as to allow aid to continue to reach Palestinians if and when Hamas-backed officials join a unified Palestinian government. This step is important given the fact that previous US administrations followed the flawed and counterproductive policy of boycotting and isolating Hamas.

However, the task faced by President Barack Obama is indeed challenging, as he faces fierce opposition both in the United States and from Israel because of his stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The reality is that nobody can afford to boycott the peace process or work in isolation from it.

Obama's call actually works towards enhancing unity talks between the two leading Palestinian factions - Fatah and Hamas.

The most serious obstacle for Obama is not the Palestinians - rather it is the Israelis, who have resisted any remote possibility for the peace process to be revived. It is this very position that has led the Palestinians to lose faith and question the entire peace process.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas recently stated that Palestinians will not be pressured into resuming peace talks as long as the construction of colonies continues. Such a state of despair should not be allowed to continue. It is therefore high time for the peace process to be placed back on the agenda and for Obama's small but steady steps to be encouraged, supported and taken forward.