Gaza warfare pushes Israel-Arab conflict to top of Obama agenda
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
NEW YORK, Dec. 29 (Bloomberg): Warfare between Israel and Hamas will put pressure on President-elect Barack Obama to fulfill a campaign pledge to focus on the Palestinian conflict at a time when his agenda will already be overflowing with Iraq, Afghanistan and the economic crisis.
Israel is following up its response to rocket fire from Hamas -- a campaign of air strikes in the Gaza Strip that has killed at least 285 people and ignited protests throughout the Arab world -- with preparations for a possible follow-on ground attack. Israeli leaders say the threat from Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza must be eliminated.
"The president-elect's foreign-policy brain trust very much hoped for a quiet backdrop against which to re-inaugurate the Middle East peace process," said Rogan Kersh, associate dean of New York University's Wagner School of Public Service. "That backdrop instead now looks jagged, chaotic and loud."
For now, Obama, who takes office Jan. 20, is keeping a low profile. While he has spoken with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about the situation and is monitoring events, he has no plans to become actively involved, his chief political strategist, David Axelrod, said yesterday.
"There's only one president at a time," Axelrod said on NBC's "Meet the Press" program. "The president speaks for the United States of America. We will honor that."
President George W. Bush's administration has blamed Hamas for the resumption of violence and called on it to renew a cease-fire that expired Dec. 19. Bush has recognized only the Palestinian Authority, which governs in the West Bank, as a legitimate peace partner, and shunned Hamas.
White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe called the Islamic group, which controls Gaza, "nothing but thugs." He added that Israel "is going to defend itself against people like Hamas," which the U.S. classifies as a terrorist organization.
If Obama responds to the situation by taking an active role, it would contrast with the hands-off policy of Bush. The president disengaged from Middle East peacemaking until the last year of his administration, then failed to hammer out an accord as Israel dealt with political upheaval and the Palestinians remained divided.
"The problem is for eight years, there's been no adult supervision, which is what the United States can do," said James Zogby, president of the Washington-based Arab American Institute.
Even among supporters of Israel, there is a desire for Obama’s prompt involvement. Jeremy Ben-Ami, executive director of J Street, a Washington-based, pro-Israel organization that favors a negotiated solution to create a Palestinian state, said in a statement that Obama needed to “lead an early and seriousâ€
Only diplomacy and negotiations can end the rockets and terror and bring Israel long-term security and peace,â€
Israel has called up reservists and positioned armored units near the Gaza border, signaling a possible ground incursion into the territory. With Israeli officials facing national elections on Feb. 10, they have little incentive for now to show the flexibility required to revive peace talks.
Arab leaders, for their part, issued denunciations of Israel and announced plans for an emergency meeting in Doha, Qatar. Anti-Israeli demonstrations flared across the region.
Syria yesterday said its indirect peace talks with Israel have been halted because of the Gaza attacks, Agence France- Presse reported from Damascus, citing an unidentified senior Syrian official.
"It was urgent before this incident for the United States to become more actively involved," said Steven Cook, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. "This only makes it more urgent."
During his presidential campaign, Obama sought to allay concerns about his views among some Jewish voters with a series of pro-Israeli statements.
In a July visit to the Israeli town of Sderot, a frequent target of Hamas rocket attacks, Obama expressed understanding for Israeli retaliation.
"I don't think any country would find it acceptable to have missiles raining down on the heads of their citizens," Obama said at the time. "If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that. And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing."
Obama also told the nation's pro-Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, on June 4 that he had an "unshakeable commitment" to that country's security and described himself as a "true friend of Israel."
Still, Obama has made it clear since his Nov. 4 election that under his leadership the U.S. would be actively involved in the search for peace.
When he announced his nomination of New York Senator Hillary Clinton to be secretary of state on Dec. 1, Obama called the appointment "a sign to friend and foe of the seriousness of my commitment to renew American diplomacy."
"Clearly, it's something that they're going to invest in heavily," said Tamara Cofman Wittes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution's Saban Center for Middle East Policy.
A transition aide said Obama, vacationing in Hawaii, was planning to talk to Clinton and incoming National Security Adviser James Jones last night.
The Hamas missile attacks and the Israeli response provide an early lesson to Obama that he will have to make room on his agenda for plenty of unexpected developments.
"The mettle of a president is not tested by his ability to accomplish his agenda," Zogby said. "It's about how he responds to the agenda forced upon him. Welcome to the presidency."
Israel is following up its response to rocket fire from Hamas -- a campaign of air strikes in the Gaza Strip that has killed at least 285 people and ignited protests throughout the Arab world -- with preparations for a possible follow-on ground attack. Israeli leaders say the threat from Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza must be eliminated.
"The president-elect's foreign-policy brain trust very much hoped for a quiet backdrop against which to re-inaugurate the Middle East peace process," said Rogan Kersh, associate dean of New York University's Wagner School of Public Service. "That backdrop instead now looks jagged, chaotic and loud."
For now, Obama, who takes office Jan. 20, is keeping a low profile. While he has spoken with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about the situation and is monitoring events, he has no plans to become actively involved, his chief political strategist, David Axelrod, said yesterday.
"There's only one president at a time," Axelrod said on NBC's "Meet the Press" program. "The president speaks for the United States of America. We will honor that."
President George W. Bush's administration has blamed Hamas for the resumption of violence and called on it to renew a cease-fire that expired Dec. 19. Bush has recognized only the Palestinian Authority, which governs in the West Bank, as a legitimate peace partner, and shunned Hamas.
White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe called the Islamic group, which controls Gaza, "nothing but thugs." He added that Israel "is going to defend itself against people like Hamas," which the U.S. classifies as a terrorist organization.
If Obama responds to the situation by taking an active role, it would contrast with the hands-off policy of Bush. The president disengaged from Middle East peacemaking until the last year of his administration, then failed to hammer out an accord as Israel dealt with political upheaval and the Palestinians remained divided.
"The problem is for eight years, there's been no adult supervision, which is what the United States can do," said James Zogby, president of the Washington-based Arab American Institute.
Even among supporters of Israel, there is a desire for Obama’s prompt involvement. Jeremy Ben-Ami, executive director of J Street, a Washington-based, pro-Israel organization that favors a negotiated solution to create a Palestinian state, said in a statement that Obama needed to “lead an early and seriousâ€
Only diplomacy and negotiations can end the rockets and terror and bring Israel long-term security and peace,â€
Israel has called up reservists and positioned armored units near the Gaza border, signaling a possible ground incursion into the territory. With Israeli officials facing national elections on Feb. 10, they have little incentive for now to show the flexibility required to revive peace talks.
Arab leaders, for their part, issued denunciations of Israel and announced plans for an emergency meeting in Doha, Qatar. Anti-Israeli demonstrations flared across the region.
Syria yesterday said its indirect peace talks with Israel have been halted because of the Gaza attacks, Agence France- Presse reported from Damascus, citing an unidentified senior Syrian official.
"It was urgent before this incident for the United States to become more actively involved," said Steven Cook, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. "This only makes it more urgent."
During his presidential campaign, Obama sought to allay concerns about his views among some Jewish voters with a series of pro-Israeli statements.
In a July visit to the Israeli town of Sderot, a frequent target of Hamas rocket attacks, Obama expressed understanding for Israeli retaliation.
"I don't think any country would find it acceptable to have missiles raining down on the heads of their citizens," Obama said at the time. "If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that. And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing."
Obama also told the nation's pro-Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, on June 4 that he had an "unshakeable commitment" to that country's security and described himself as a "true friend of Israel."
Still, Obama has made it clear since his Nov. 4 election that under his leadership the U.S. would be actively involved in the search for peace.
When he announced his nomination of New York Senator Hillary Clinton to be secretary of state on Dec. 1, Obama called the appointment "a sign to friend and foe of the seriousness of my commitment to renew American diplomacy."
"Clearly, it's something that they're going to invest in heavily," said Tamara Cofman Wittes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution's Saban Center for Middle East Policy.
A transition aide said Obama, vacationing in Hawaii, was planning to talk to Clinton and incoming National Security Adviser James Jones last night.
The Hamas missile attacks and the Israeli response provide an early lesson to Obama that he will have to make room on his agenda for plenty of unexpected developments.
"The mettle of a president is not tested by his ability to accomplish his agenda," Zogby said. "It's about how he responds to the agenda forced upon him. Welcome to the presidency."