Israel denies timing war to inauguration

WASHINGTON -- A top Israeli diplomat denied suggestions Monday that Israel attacked Hamas now because it was more confident of support from the outgoing Bush administration than from the incoming Obama team.

Jeremy Issacharoff said Israel had to act to stop not only rockets from Hamas but also show it was ready to stand up to regional threats, including from Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iran.

He said that he believed the Israeli leadership "came to a conclusion that they could not further tolerate this firing on Israeli citizens anymore.

"I really doubt that any consideration of the American timetable had anything to do with it. And it doesn't work like that," Issacharoff said.

The New York Times quoted experts as saying that Israel decided to attack Hamas before President Bush leaves office on Jan. 20 because it cannot be sure his successor Barack Obama would show the same support.

Meanwhile, the heaviest fighting of the war raged in Gaza City early today as the Israeli government rejected appeals for a cease-fire.

AFP