(below is an article from the Australian Newspaper -- The Age)
ON HIS third day in office, US President Barack Obama has dramatically shifted America's stance towards the Middle East conflict.
He has called on Israel to open its borders with Gaza to allow humanitarian aid and commerce to flow and said one of America's most talented negotiators would try to broker a more extensive peace in the troubled region.
Mr Obama also announced plans to close the contentious detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within a year and to ban all forms of "enhanced interrogation" used by the CIA, branding them torture and contrary to American values.
The announcements are signals to the world — particularly the Arab world — that the new administration will pursue vigorous diplomatic engagement, abide by international obligations and return to what Mr Obama termed the nation's "core values".
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived at her department to rousing applause as she told staff she would welcome debate and good ideas.
"The President is committed to making diplomacy and development the partners in our foreign policy along with defence. And we must be smarter about how we exercise our power," she said.
The most tangible evidence of the new approach was in Mr Obama's statements on Gaza, when he offered a more even-handed assessment of the problems underlying the conflict.
Under the former president, George Bush, America had been strongly supportive of the Israeli actions in Gaza and had blamed Hamas for bringing suffering on its own people. The US was also a reluctant supporter of ceasefire negotiations.
Mr Obama said: "Just as the terror of rocket fire aimed at innocent Israelis is intolerable, so too is a future without hope for the Palestinians. I was deeply concerned by the loss of Palestinian and Israeli life in recent days, and by the substantial suffering and humanitarian needs in Gaza …
"As part of a lasting ceasefire, Gaza's border crossings should be open to allow the flow of aid and commerce, with an appropriate monitoring regime with the international and Palestinian Authority participating."
Mr Obama said the US would "actively and aggressively seek a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians" in the wake of the recent Gaza conflict.
"The outline for a durable ceasefire is clear: Hamas must end its rocket fire; Israel will complete the withdrawal of its forces from Gaza; the US and our partners will support a credible anti-smuggling and interdiction regime, so that Hamas cannot re-arm," he said.
Mr Obama announced the appointment of George Mitchell — the man who helped forge a peace agreement in Northern Ireland — to begin work on brokering an agreement as US special envoy for the Arab-Israeli conflict. Richard Holbrooke, former US ambassador to the United Nations, has been appointed as representative for Afghanistan-Pakistan.
The moves signalled another shift from the foreign policy of the Bush administration, which had resisted appointing a high-profile envoy for Middle East peace.
Mr Obama also made good on his campaign promises to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay within a year and end immediately the use of torture by the CIA. The order sets up a commission to look at options for relocating the remaining 245 inmates. This is likely to include asking allies, such as Australia, to consider taking inmates.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has already rejected similar overtures from Mr Bush, but Portugal and Switzerland have indicated they may be willing to take some. Other options include moving inmates to US military prisons, returning some to their native countries, and finding third countries to take them.
The President also signed an order saying that all interrogations conducted by the US would abide by the army field manual, effectively banning the CIA from using "enhanced interrogation" techniques including waterboarding.
