Obama Administration and Gaza

While the war in Gaza is its second week and international efforts to stop the violence have failed so far, Barack Obama, the U.S. president-elect commented on the issue only on the first days and dubbed Hamas as the culprit. Some analysts believe that the new U.S. president’s silence is meaningful against the developments.

Dr. Naser Hadian, professor of Tehran University and U.S. affairs analyst writes for Iranian Diplomacy:

Obama’s stance on Middle East and the strife in Gaza is not going to be different from those of the other American politicians and U.S. presidents. Ultimately, he will taunt Hamas and support Israel, who has the right to defend against attacks. However, in his remarks he will refer to the plight of Palestinians in Gaza and will talk about the hardship they endure. However, Hamas will be guilty and not Israel. He may take a slightly stronger position by warning Israel to stop the massacre of innocent civilians. The U.S. president-elect may still support Fatah and Mahmoud Abbas as the legal, recognized representative of Palestinians in the international community, but he will denounce Hamas as a terrorist group and will blame them for the recent conflict.

On Obama’s silence on Gaza: there is no reason why Obama has kept quiet on Gaza’s situation and the battle between Hamas and Israel. He may argue that Bush is the U.S. president and he hasn’t started his term. Also, taking a stance on the battle between Israel and Hamas will not be convenient and without problems. Hence, Obama feels no necessity for remarking on Gaza before he officially starts his term.

Diplomacy for Arabs and Israel: to solve Middle East crises, there is no other way than diplomacy. Definitely Obama –who has already highlighted diplomacy -will select the diplomatic means. It seems that Obama administration will focus on the issue of Palestine and Israel from the beginning, unlike Bush’s administration who considered the problem only in its final years. Obama has to pay more attention to this issue and with Hillary Clinton introduced as the new secretary of state, they will try to control Middle East crisis and ponder sustained solutions.