US President-elect Barack Obama's transition website reveals that he has rehired a former advisor who once advocated an American invasion of Israel in order to impose a peace deal on the Jewish state and the Palestinians.

Samantha Power will serve on the State Department National Security Team when Obama takes office in January, again raising the eyebrows of Israel's supporters in the US.

During the Democratic Party primary campaign Obama was blasted for having Power on his team by those pointed to a disturbing interview she gave in 2000.

In the interview with Harry Kreisler of the Institute for International Studies at Berkeley, Power suggests that the "Israel Lobby" controls US foreign policy, accuses Israel of widespread human rights violations and recommends invading Israel with a "mammoth protection force" to impose a peace agreement.