At the heart of the conflict are the so-called "core issues."

Over the past several decades, there have been many attempts at peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The main points of disagreement between them are called the "core issues." But when two sides have so much bitter disagreement, the peace process can be very slow. In most of the past peace talks, the core issues weren't even discussed, because everyone knew that the two sides were far apart on some of these issues. Often, the only progress at these meetings is an agreement to meet again. Why do you think the process is so slow? Do you think it has to be this way?

One of the core issues is what to do about Jerusalem, the city shown here. In 1947, the U.N. said it should control the city, but this plan was never put in place. Jerusalem has ancient sites holy to Jews, Muslims, and Christians. The population is mainly split between Jews and Muslim Palestinians, but Israel has controlled the whole city since 1967. Do you think the two sides can share the city? The issue of permanent borders and an end to the occupation will also have to be settled before there can be peace. The Palestinians have said they want their borders to be returned to what they were before the Israeli occupation of 1967, but so far Israel has not agreed. And finally, the issue of the refugees' "right of return" must be decided. This is the question of whether all the Palestinian refugees who fled or were forced out of their homes should be allowed to return, and be paid for the loss of their property. Do you think this could be done? Do you think the Israelis and the Palestinians can ever come to an agreement and make peace? What do you think the new president can do to bring about a peace that is fair to all sides?