Gaza complicates Obama's policy in Mideast

US President-elect Barack Obama (2nd-R) departs a gym after his morning work, taking time to talk with locals on Sunday at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kailua, Hawaii.Photo: AFP

President-elect Barack Obama's transition team is choosing its words carefully in dealing with Israel's assault on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The deaths of hundreds of Palestinians in Israel's deadly air assault on the militant Islamic group will further complicate Obama's challenge to achieve a Middle East peace something that eluded both the Bush and Clinton administrations.
David Axelrod, senior adviser to Obama, said the president-elect would honor the "important bond" between the United States and Israel.
"He wants to be a constructive force in helping to bring about the peace and security that both the Israelis and the Palestinians want and deserve," Axelrod said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation." "Obviously, this situation has become even more complicated in the last couple of days and weeks. As Hamas began its shelling, Israel responded. But it's something that he's committed to."
Pressed about how much support Obama will offer Israel, Axelrod said: "He's going to work closely with the Israelis. They're a great ally of ours, the most important ally in the region. ... But he will do so in a way that will promote the cause of peace, and work closely with the Israelis and the Palestinians on that toward that objective."
The Bush administration has blamed the renewed violence on the militant Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, saying it broke a cease-fire by firing rockets and mortars deep into Israeli territory. The Arab world, however, has reacted with rage to the aggressive Israeli counterattacks, which have left at least 290 Palestinians dead and more than 600 wounded.
It's unclear whether Obama will be as supportive of Israel as President George W. Bush has been.
Jon Alterman, head of the Middle East programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, speculated that Israeli leaders synchronized their retaliatory attacks to political calendars in both Israel and the US More moderate politicians running in the Feb. 10 national election needed to appear strong against Hamas, and it was perhaps better to strike before Bush left office on Jan. 20 because they weren't as sure about what Obama's reaction would be.