When they met last summer in Ramallah, on the West Bank, Barack Obama promised Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas he would be an active partner for peace, if he made it into the White House.
A year later, President Obama is sitting in the Oval Office, keeping his promise to tackle the Middle East conflict from the start of his term, but he is probably wondering whether Mr Abbas is the partner he was hoping for.
When the two men sit down for talks, Mr Obama will find the leader of a divided people, with limited legitimacy, with political authority over only part of the Palestinian territories and with a presidential term that some consider to have already expired in January.
With Hamas still in control of Gaza, many are wondering whether there is any point in starting peace talks with Mr Abbas if there are no guarantees he can bring all the Palestinians on board.
But Washington does not talk to Hamas (which it lists as a terrorist organisation) and if the Obama administration wants to start any process, Mr Abbas is the only Palestinian interlocutor available.
With some effort, it might start a dynamic that could have an impact on internal Palestinian politics.