| | Obama on his silence over Gaza violence: 'one president at a time'
 President-elect Barack Obama Monday expressed concern about the Gaza crisis but stressed he would not interfere in "delicate negotiations" by the outgoing US administration.
Asked about whether Israel's offensive against Hamas was distracting him from his economic agenda, Obama told reporters "obviously, international affairs are of deep concern."
"I strongly believe that a president or president-elect or his team should be able to do more than one thing at a time. With the situation in Gaza, I've been getting briefed every day," he said.
Obama has faced criticism for his silence on the Middle East violence, especially in the Arab world and European press. It adds to the huge challenges awaiting him when he succeeds President George W. Bush on January 20.
But the president-elect stressed: "I will continue to insist that when it comes to foreign affairs, it is particularly important to adhere to the principle of one president at a time, because there are delicate negotiations taking place right now and we can't have two voices coming out of the United States when you have so much at stake."
Israel has rejected worldwide calls for a ceasefire as the Palestinian death toll from its 10-day offensive in the Gaza Strip against the militant group Hamas tops 550.
Obama did not elaborate on the negotiations he mentioned. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has canceled a planned trip to China this week to deal with the crisis.
According to the Palestinians, Arab states are pushing for a UN Security Council resolution aimed at securing an immediate end to the "Israeli aggression" in Gaza.
Earlier Monday, Bush said he understood Israel's desire to defend itself, adding any Gaza ceasefire must ensure Hamas militants cannot fire rockets on Israeli towns.
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