Obama pledges to push Israel-Palestinian peace talks

AMMAN (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama pledged on Tuesday to work to reach a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians from his first day in office but said it would be difficult.

"The Israeli government is unsettled. The Palestinians are divided between Fatah and Hamas. And so it's difficult for either side to make the bold move that would bring about peace," Obama told reporters in Amman before visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who faces a corruption probe that could force him from office, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who lost his hold on the Gaza Strip to Hamas Islamists a year ago, launched peace talks last November.

They set the goal of reaching a statehood agreement before U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office in January, but disputes over Jewish settlement building and violence on both sides have marred the negotiations.

"My goal is to make sure that we work, starting from the minute I'm sworn into office, to try to find some breakthroughs," Obama said, adding that it was unrealistic to expect a U.S. president to "suddenly snap his fingers and bring about peace".

Obama attracted attention in June when he told a pro-Israeli lobby group that Jerusalem must remain Israel's undivided capital -- only to amend his stance to say the issue should be negotiated by all parties.

Obama, who has sought to reach out to Jewish voters, said the United States would remain a "strong friend" of Israel regardless of who wins the upcoming election.

(Editing by Samia Nakhoul)