Obama Should Speak up Now in Support of Israel (Jerusalem Post, ISRAEL)

Napoleon Bonaparte once defined a leader as "a dealer in hope." But Americans and Israelis yearning for leadership amid crisis from the incoming American president, who during the 2008 campaign was the great purveyor of hope, have thus far been sorely disappointed.

As missiles continue raining down on southern Israel, and the IDF's Gaza campaign enters its second week, only a conspicuous silence has emanated from President-elect Barack Obama's private Hawaii vacation compound.

While President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and their spokespeople have unequivocally backed Israel's actions and blamed Hamas for abrogating the cease-fire, Obama has declined comment, saying instead that "there's only one president at a time." David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist, told CBS News that "the Bush administration has to speak for America now" and that "it wouldn't be appropriate for me to opine on these matters." Incoming Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has maintained a similar reticence.

BUT THE Obama team's silence on this important issue is as surprising as it is unfortunate. In the immediate wake of his election, Obama proactively built a team designed to resuscitate the ailing US economy and reassured Americans - while ruffling the Bush administration's feathers - that "help is on the way." Obama presumably acted to calm the markets and to restore the confidence of those who had lost their jobs or retirement savings.

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