Analysis: Some Israelis want Obama tough love

Livni says she won't be bound
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been sounding alarm bells about the threat Israel faces unless it gives up the West Bank and signs peace with the Palestinians. But he is stepping down in a few weeks. Tzipi Livni, the candidate to succeed him, says she won't be bound by Olmert's prescriptions. Her main opponent, the hawkish Benjamin Netanyahu, indicates he's in no hurry to discuss yielding any land.

Obama already has a starring role in the campaign. Netanyahu claims a personal chemistry with the president-elect, apparently hoping it will win centrist votes. The more dovish Livni is warning Obama not to talk to Iran, a stance which may raise her stock with conservatives.

Israelis were initially apprehensive about Obama's Muslim-sounding middle name, his stated willingness to talk to Iran and the presence of what they saw as pro-Palestinian political advisers in his camp.

Many were soothed by the choice of the staunchly pro-Israel Joe Biden as Obama's running mate, and Obama's emotional visit to Israel, though up to election day, Israel was one of the few countries where polls showed a sizeable preference for McCain.

Obama's choice of Rahm Emanuel for chief of staff was a "very strong comforting factor," said Danny Ayalon, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington.

Emanuel speaks Hebrew
Emanuel is a deeply committed Jew whose Israeli father was a member of Irgun, Israel's pre-state right-wing underground. During the first Gulf war, Emanuel came here as a volunteer worker in the maintenance of Israeli military vehicles.

At the same time, the Hebrew-speaking Emanuel could give Washington an insider's view of Israel. If Obama chooses to put pressure on Israel, Emanuel's presence at the top could help fireproof the new president against allegations he is acting against Israel's interests.

U.S. presidents have a stake in nurturing deep-rooted ties with Israel, said Aaron David Miller, a former adviser to both Republican and Democratic secretaries of state.

But neither country should want a relationship "where we defer to the Israelis in terms of our own tactics and strategies, where we don't have honest conversations with them about things they do that we don't like," he said.

The Americans who achieved the most in the region, Miller said, were Henry Kissinger, Jimmy Carter and James Baker, and they were all willing "to be tough with both Arabs and Israelis."

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