Let's Hope There is No Flip-Flopping On This Issue

So far, both Obama and Hillary have used pro-Israel rhetoric. I'm hoping and praying that does not change, as so many things do... but I do have to applaud their views, thus far, on this front.

In a July interview with The New York Times, Obama said he did not think that "any country would find it acceptable to have missiles raining down on the heads of their citizens.

"If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that," he said. "And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing."

As for talking with Hamas, Obama told the Times that it was "very hard to negotiate with a group that is not representative of a nation state, does not recognize your right to exist, has consistently used terror as a weapon, and is deeply influenced by other countries."

But Obama is also set to benefit from a positive reception in the Middle East, where his election fueled hopes for change in US foreign policy in the region, seen as tilted toward Israel and US-backed Arab regimes in countries such as Egypt and Jordan.

Hillary Clinton, Obama's incoming secretary of state pending Senate confirmation, staunchly supported Israel during her tenure as senator from New York, which has a large Jewish constituency.

"The next president must be ready to say to the world: America's position is unchanging, our resolve unyielding, our stance non-negotiable," Clinton told the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC in June.