2009 elections: Israel/Palestine and Obama

Will Obama be a factor in Israel's 2009 election?
Will there be 2009 elections in Palestine?
Does Obama support the blockade of Gaza?
What will Obama do going forward with the new Israeli government?
What will he do going forward with Hamas and Fatah?
What do you plan to do politically, if anything, about any of this?

And where do the various leaders and political parties of Israel, Palestine, and the U.S. depart from the Geneva Accords/Initiative?
http://www.geneva-accord.org/

Maybe just that last question if the others are too speculative or broad. To give you an idea of how alien Israeli politics are to Americans, "capitalist pig" is a term of abuse among public figures. I'd be happy to be schooled even if I ultimately wind up disagreeing.

Mum's the word so far...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/29/politics/politico/main4690052.shtml

Are the parameters of the American public discussion around the issue expanding? Led by lib bloggers?

http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/29/the-third-rail-of-israel-cools-in-the-blogosphere/

probably the first real test for obama and clinton, not least in terms of how much they're on the same page. ideal scenario is, clinton is dispatched there immediately after being sworn in, spends a week giving blunt message of "we have to do this NOW, no preconditions" to all sides, returns for convening of final-status negotiations in six months or something. seems unlikely.

the geneva accords look like a rough map of what the final agreement has to include, right? it's not like there's room for a huge amount of improvisation here.

Off-topic, sorta, but great article about the radical rightest influences on the Likud party, and the suggestion that it might turn some voters off to Likud and back on to Kadima:

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_rebel_prince