Showdown: From the moment U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held their first official meeting at the White House on May 18, it was clear they would disagree more than the two countries' leaders have at any time in recent memory. The flash point is equally apparent: settlements. The more than 100 settlements in the West Bank -- home to upwards of 300,000 Jews -- have seen no shortage of controversy since Israel's independence. Under the previous U.S. administration, Israel could count on Washington for at least tacit support for some aspects of settlement growth. But today, that's changing.

"The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements," Obama told an applauding audience in Cairo Thursday. "This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop." Above, a settler mourns the destruction of the unauthorized West Bank outpost of Maoz Ester on June 3 after Israeli policemen demolished it for a second time, under pressure from the international community.