Washington, Dec 29 : In a statement given to a news channel, Obama's senior White House advisor David Axelrod has said that the renewed conflict in the Mideast is now a major agenda item for the President-elect, who is committed to peace in the region.

Speaking on CBS News' `Face the Nation', Axelrod told guest host Chip Reid that Barrack Obama "recognizes the special relationship between the United States and Israel", and that he wants to help bring about peace.

"Obviously, this situation has become even more complicated in the last couple of days and weeks, as Hamas began shelling, Israel responded. But, it's something that he's committed to," he said.

Alexrod explained that regarding the Middle East, Obama "wants to get a handle on the situation, so that, when he becomes president on January 20th, he has the advantage of all the facts and information leading up to that point."

According to a transition aide, Obama has discussed the Mideast situation with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"They discussed the situations in Gaza and in South Asia. The president-elect appreciated the call and the information from Secretary Rice. He will continue to closely monitor these and other global events. The call lasted approximately eight minutes and was initiated by the president-elect," the transition aide said.

"Obama's conversations with Secretary of State Rice are largely in the area of fact-finding for him. I would hardly describe him as passive," said Alexrod.

Obama foreign policy team, which would be led by Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State if her appointment is approved, would likely follow a similar policy to the current administration, which has supported Israel's right to defend itself against rockets fired into southern Israel. (ANI)