WASHINGTON — As civilian casualties mount in the Gaza Strip, President-elect Barack Obama is coming under intensifying pressure to end his disengagement and begin working for a halt to the fighting.
Obama has argued that President Bush remains in charge of U.S. foreign policy until the inauguration on Jan. 20. But critics say hundreds may die in the next two weeks while the president-elect stands by.
The displeasure is threatening the incoming administration's chances for a honeymoon in the Middle East, where millions have held high hopes after the bitter conflicts that occurred during the Bush years, analysts say. Obama has announced plans for a major speech in a Muslim capital early this year to begin forging a new and positive relationship with Muslims who have been alienated by Bush.
But Riad Malki, the Palestinian Authority foreign minister, expressed disappointment with Obama this week during an appearance at the United Nations. "We expected him to be open and responsive," he said.
While Obama has avoided interfering with Bush on Gaza, he has condemned with "the harshest of words" the November terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, said Al Quds al Arabi, an Arabic language newspaper published in London. "It seems the rules change when the attacker is Israeli and the victim is Arab or Muslim," the newspaper said.
In an apparent acknowledgment of the growing pressure, Obama broke his silence Tuesday after Israeli shells struck Palestinians in a U.N. school in Gaza, killing at least 30 people.
"The loss of civilian life in Gaza and in Israel is a source of deep concern for me," Obama said at his transition office in Washington, while continuing to insist that the United States has only one president at a time.
"After Jan. 20, I'm going to have plenty to say about the issue."
But he gave no indication of what approach he would take.
Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton, who will be confronted with the crisis as soon as she is confirmed by the Senate, also has been reserved. Clinton has discussed the conflict with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, but has declined to speak publicly. Clinton was regarded as a staunch defender of Israel while serving as a Democratic senator from New York. Her appointment offered reassurances to Israelis wondering about Obama's intentions, while cooling Arab hopes for a marked U.S. policy shift.
