Netanyahu on JPost.com

"I am convinced that Obama recognizes these dangers. When he visited Jerusalem last summer, he said that the United States cannot afford a nuclear-armed Iran. I believe that Obama is working from his first day in office to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions"

Weber:  This should be the first foreign policy task for the incoming administration.  With oil prices low (hobbling Russia's attempts to play a larger role in the region) and a surge of good will toward the U.S. (which will not last forever) Obama should be working both back channel diplomacy and marking strong public statements designed to stop Iran from going fully nuclear.

This is far more critical than resolving the situation in Gaza and the West Bank.  In fact, although George Mitchell, Obama's new Mideast special envoy prroved highly skilled at bringing peace the Northern Ireland, his task is far, far more difficult and far less likely to succeed in the Middle East.

Obama should treat Hamas exactly the way George Bush treated Yassar Arafat...ignore them until they accept Isreal's right to exist.  This approach has the dual advantage of putting pressure on Hamas and relieving domestic and world pressure to "do something" on the Gaza conflict.