'THE EVIL EYE'

[Hoje Macau, Macau]

Le Figaro, France

Barack Obama's 'Eloquent Silence'

"In just ten days, there will still only be one president of the United States, but it will no longer be George W. Bush. In constraining himself with an almost absolute silence on the unfolding tragedy in Gaza, Barack Obama is sending a very clear and simple message."

EDITORIAL By Pierre Rousselin

Translated By Sandrine Ageorges

January 9, 2009

France - Le Figaro - Original Article (French)

In just ten days, there will still only be one president of the United States, but it will no longer be George W. Bush.

In constraining himself with an almost absolute silence on the war in Gaza and the unfolding tragedy there, Barack Obama is sending a very clear and simple message.

From January 20th, Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian authority, Arab countries and all partners of the United States will have a new interlocutor at the White House - and he is not unknown. The American political system is designed so that, after a campaign that lasted twenty-two months, everyone has a pretty good idea of who Barack Obama is. The ideas that people hold of the man cannot be separated from calculations regarding his fast-approaching inauguration.

When it comes to saving the American economy, Barack Obama doesn't spend his time saying that the United States have only one president at a time. He acts. With regard to global affairs, he didn't constrain himself from reacting to the attacks in Bombay. But since the Israeli offensive began, he has only emerged from silence once. Initially, he said that his silence should not be interpreted as indifference, and that he was doing everything to be ready the "first day," to cope with the situation in Gaza, but also to "build a process for a long-lasting peace." In the meantime, he refuses to allow events to impose themselves on him and insists on preserving maximum flexibility, which he will need from January 20th on.

[Editor's Note: Last Sunday, on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos (watch video below), President-elect Obama said the following:

STEPHANOPOULOS: But as you know, in much of the Arab world, your silence -- your relative silence has been interpreted as callousness. And we also had a viewer question on this, Marin Guerrero of Riverside, California, asks you: "Why is Obama remaining silent on the Gaza crisis when so many innocent people are being killed?"

OBAMA: Well, look, I have said -- and I think I said this a couple of days back, that when you see civilians, whether Palestinian or Israeli, harmed, under hardship, it's heartbreaking. And obviously what that does is it makes me much more determined to try to break a deadlock that has gone on for decades now.]

President-elect Obama on ABC's This Week, made his most

wide-ranging comments yet on the Gaza crisis. WATCH

Barack Obama has the stated aim of implementing much more robust diplomacy than his predecessor. It's not much of a risk to predict that he will seek to influence the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by insisting on a cessation of hostilities and a resumption of dialogue. The abstention of the United States, which permitted the adoption of the first U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire, is a first step in this direction.

From the Israeli perspective, even if such an intention is officially denied, it isn't illogical to try and weaken Hamas as much as possible before the arrival of new administration in Washington - particularly one thought to be more inclined toward negotiation.  

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

From the standpoint of Hamas, it's equally plausible that the will to exist as a political party to the conflict played a role in its decision to resume its rocket attacks.

As for other regional players, they too are awaiting change in the White House.

It's striking in this respect to note that Hezbullah has, up to now, avoided opening up a second front in Northern Israel. Four Katyusha rockets were indeed fired on Thursday, apparently by a Palestinian group, but they have not drawn the pro-Iranian Shiite militia into the conflict.

While awaiting Obama, it's likely that Iranian leaders have calmed their Lebanese friends to avoid insulting the future.

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[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US January 12, 5:55pm]