Jerusalem  - Caretaker Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert commended US President Barack Obama on his inauguration, wishing him success and calling the ceremony "very moving."

Olmert briefed Obama on the situation in Gaza, where a fragile truce has ended a 22-day deadly and destructive Israeli offensive aimed at curbing rocket attacks, and said he oped that US efforts, along with those of Egypt, Europe and Israel itself to prevent weapons smuggling into the strip would help stabilize the ceasefire.

Olmert said Israel would "invest effort in supplying the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip and (would) work to improve" the Palestinian economy in the West Bank. dpa