Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/obama-new-chapter-in-diplomacy-with-arab-world Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Story In what was described as a major policy speech at the State Department, President Obama pledged aid to Arab nations that are shifting toward democracy and renewed calls for an Israeli-Palestinian two-state settlement. The president said “people of the Middle East and North Africa are casting off the burdens of the past” in what is now known as the Arab Spring.