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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Obama's hangover
It is simply and, some would say, cynically, a recognition that Israel utterly depends on the support of the United States. Outgoing President George W. Bush was as staunch a supporter of the Jewish state as ever occupied the White House, but Mr. Obama's position, worrisomely, has yet to be clearly defined.
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What he has made clear is that the Middle East -- ideally a lasting settlement in the Middle East -- will be one of his urgent priorities. If Israel can withdraw all its ground forces and keep them out of Gaza, Mr. Obama and his new secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, may avoid having to handle an immediate crisis while they negotiate with other interested parties to avoid future flare-ups.
The skunk at this garden party is, of course, Hamas. The Palestinian terrorist government of Gaza on Sunday did reluctantly sign on to the unilateral ceasefire declared by Israel, but its commitment will almost certainly be self-serving and brief unless international pressure proves too great for it to resist.
Hamas has no interest in presenting Mr. Obama with an inaugural gift -- its interests lie in promoting and intensifying crisis and conflict in the Palestinian territories and Israel, an exploding pie in the new president's face. The situation in the Mideast is becoming more and more complicated -- Secretary Clinton will need to keep a suitcase packed.
In the wake of the ceasefire, much of Gaza lies in ruins. There is an estimated $1.5 billion in damage to infrastructure such as roads, power lines and sewer and water pipes, which the Palestinians look to the Arabs and the West to pay to replace and repair. Saudi Arabia has pledged $1 billion, but the European Union announced on the weekend it will refuse to provide infrastructure aid as long as Hamas, which it regards as a terrorist organization, remains in power in Gaza.
There are also almost 2,000 people dead, most of them Palestinians, and yet nothing has yet been resolved. Hamas remains capable of smuggling arms into Gaza and firing rockets into Israel -- it "is our mission," said an unrepentant Hamas spokesman after the ceasefire. Israel has proven to any doubters it is still the most formidable fighting machine in the region and offered a bloody lesson to the Palestinians in the benefits of peace, but lessons learned at gunpoint are quickly forgotten.
It will take a world of determined negotiators led by Barack Obama to find a solution to this problem. He should enjoy his fairy-tale party tonight, because tomorrow morning a grim, real world awaits him.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 20, 2009 A10
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