By Phil Sherwell, in New York
Last Updated: 12:11AM GMT 04 Jan 2009
Mr Obama takes up temporary accommodation in Washington today after travelling from Chicago with his wife Michelle and daughters, Malia and Sasha. After he has seen off his two daughters for the first day at their new school tomorrow morning, Mr Obama has an appointment with Democratic and Republican leaders about his $775 billion (£533 billion) economic stimulus plan.
While he is in daily touch with his new foreign policy team, headed by the prospective secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, about the developments in the Middle East, he will not take a direct stance on the fighting until taking office on Jan 20.
Mrs Clinton is expected to pursue a burst of shuttle diplomacy after her confirmation, in part to establish her credentials as an honest broker.
As First Lady, she provoked criticism from some Jewish groups for embracing Suha Arafat, the wife of the late Palestinian leader. But in her role as New York senator, she has been a strident ally of Israel.
President George W Bush has all but ceded handling of the country's economic slump to his successor. However, on foreign policy, Mr Obama and his aides are sticking to the mantra that the country has only one president at a time.
"The best leaders can multi-task while keeping their priorities clear," said Dan Gerstein, a Democratic strategist.
"The discipline that Obama showed during the campaign bodes well for his presidency and his ability to handle more than one crisis at a time. But he was elected to solve the country's economic woes and he won't be distracted."
Mr Obama used his weekly video address to the country on Saturday to offer the most detail yet on his proposals for widespread infrastructure spending and tax breaks.
Mr Gerstein said: "It's a fine line but so far he's walked it. He needs to show there's no need to panic while conveying the seriousness of the situation we're in."
The clashes 6,000 miles away between Israeli forces and Hamas are a stark reminder of the daunting array of challenges outside his core policies that he will face after the inauguration.
During his election campaign Mr Obama focused his foreign policy agenda on withdrawing from Iraq and changing the direction of war in Afghanistan. Aaron David Miller, a former US Middle East negotiator and adviser to six secretaries of state, said that although Mr Obama was elected to mend the US economy, he would inevitably have to involve himself in events in Gaza.
"He'll have no choice but to try to tackle the Middle East," he said. "The issue will stick to him like a barnacle to a boat. The Europeans, the Arabs and the international community will be all over him like a cheap suit demanding he do something.
"But he could inherit a very different situation on Jan 21 from where we are now. Three weeks is an eternity in the Arab-Israeli conflict."
He predicted that an Obama administration would "differentiate between a special and an exclusive relationship with Israel" and would seek ways to talk to Hamas through a third party such as Egypt.
Daniel Levy, who was a special adviser to the former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and is now the director of the Middle East Initiative at the New American Foundation think-tank in Washington, said the incoming president's words would come under intense scrutiny.
"Obama will face his first challenge on the Middle East as soon as makes his first comments," he said.
"Everyone is waiting not just to hear the words but to hear the nuance. We may hear language that has not been heard for a long time – strongly supportive of Israel's security concerns, but also empathetic to the Palestinians and their needs."
Barack Obama: Gaza crisis will not distract from fixing America's economy
President-elect Barack Obama has signalled that the Gaza crisis will not detract from his new administration's top priority – jump-starting America's economy with a spending spree.By Phil Sherwell, in New York
Last Updated: 12:11AM GMT 04 Jan 2009
Mr Obama takes up temporary accommodation in Washington today after travelling from Chicago with his wife Michelle and daughters, Malia and Sasha. After he has seen off his two daughters for the first day at their new school tomorrow morning, Mr Obama has an appointment with Democratic and Republican leaders about his $775 billion (£533 billion) economic stimulus plan.
While he is in daily touch with his new foreign policy team, headed by the prospective secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, about the developments in the Middle East, he will not take a direct stance on the fighting until taking office on Jan 20.
Mrs Clinton is expected to pursue a burst of shuttle diplomacy after her confirmation, in part to establish her credentials as an honest broker.
As First Lady, she provoked criticism from some Jewish groups for embracing Suha Arafat, the wife of the late Palestinian leader. But in her role as New York senator, she has been a strident ally of Israel.
President George W Bush has all but ceded handling of the country's economic slump to his successor. However, on foreign policy, Mr Obama and his aides are sticking to the mantra that the country has only one president at a time.
"The best leaders can multi-task while keeping their priorities clear," said Dan Gerstein, a Democratic strategist.
"The discipline that Obama showed during the campaign bodes well for his presidency and his ability to handle more than one crisis at a time. But he was elected to solve the country's economic woes and he won't be distracted."
Mr Obama used his weekly video address to the country on Saturday to offer the most detail yet on his proposals for widespread infrastructure spending and tax breaks.
Mr Gerstein said: "It's a fine line but so far he's walked it. He needs to show there's no need to panic while conveying the seriousness of the situation we're in."
The clashes 6,000 miles away between Israeli forces and Hamas are a stark reminder of the daunting array of challenges outside his core policies that he will face after the inauguration.
During his election campaign Mr Obama focused his foreign policy agenda on withdrawing from Iraq and changing the direction of war in Afghanistan. Aaron David Miller, a former US Middle East negotiator and adviser to six secretaries of state, said that although Mr Obama was elected to mend the US economy, he would inevitably have to involve himself in events in Gaza.
"He'll have no choice but to try to tackle the Middle East," he said. "The issue will stick to him like a barnacle to a boat. The Europeans, the Arabs and the international community will be all over him like a cheap suit demanding he do something.
"But he could inherit a very different situation on Jan 21 from where we are now. Three weeks is an eternity in the Arab-Israeli conflict."
He predicted that an Obama administration would "differentiate between a special and an exclusive relationship with Israel" and would seek ways to talk to Hamas through a third party such as Egypt.
Daniel Levy, who was a special adviser to the former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and is now the director of the Middle East Initiative at the New American Foundation think-tank in Washington, said the incoming president's words would come under intense scrutiny.
"Obama will face his first challenge on the Middle East as soon as makes his first comments," he said.
"Everyone is waiting not just to hear the words but to hear the nuance. We may hear language that has not been heard for a long time – strongly supportive of Israel's security concerns, but also empathetic to the Palestinians and their needs."
Di pos oleh Arbain Muhayat pada 04 January 2009