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Obama to Bush: Hamas must recognize Israel - Israel News, Ynetnews

Tags: obama, president-bush, letter, aipac, peace, saudi-arabia, security, israel, egypt, jews, candidate, campaign-2008 on 2008-06-29 -All Annotations (0) -About

more fromwww.ynetnews.com

Obama to Bush: Hamas must recognize Israel
Democratic presidential candidate sends Bush letter expressing unwavering support for Israel.
'We must press Egypt to devote more resources and effort to stopping the smuggling of weapons into Gaza,' he says
Yitzhak Benhorin

Published: 06.25.08,
“We must press Egypt
to devote more resources and effort to stopping the smuggling of weapons into Gaza from the Sinai, where much of Hamas’
weaponry arrives from,” Democratic US presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama said in a letter addressed to US President George W. Bush.
In the letter Obama reiterated many of the positions he presented at AIPAC’s annual conference in Washington at the beginning of the month.
Clarifying his support for Israel Obama wrote, “A fundamental principle of America’s Middle East policy must be our unshakeable commitment to Israel’s security.
I believe that is a bipartisan commitment and I will work to continue and advance that consensus.
But I am deeply concerned that Israel’s security has been put at greater risk, both because of renewed threats from implacable enemies like Iran, Hizbullah,
and Hamas, and because of policy choices by the United States.”
Referring to the Gaza Strip, the democratic presidential hopeful wrote that putting pressure on Egypt will assist to “Ensure that Hamas does not use the truce to rearm and regroup.
We must continue to isolate Hamas and ensure that others do so, until and unless they recognize Israel, renounce violence, and abide by past agreements.”
Obama also expressed his concern regarding the ceasefire in Gaza, before it was violated by the Islamic Jihad. “We all hope it will bring calm to the people of southern Israel, improve life for the Palestinians in Gaza and lead to the release of (kidnapped IDF soldier) Gilad Shalit.
The threat posed by Hamas' rule has not passed, and will not pass so long as Hamas remains committed to Israel’s destruction.”
Double the peace efforts
Obama determined that the essential step in ensuring Israel’s security in the long-run is the attainment of a peace agreement with its neighbors.
He believes that in order to proceed with the initiative that began at the Annapolis peace summit,
the US needs to double its efforts to achieve two states living side-by-side in peace and in security.
“In your remaining time in office, I hope you will devote the necessary resources to supporting Israel and Palestinian leaders who are committed to this effort to the maximum possible extent,” Obama wrote.
The democratic candidate wrote the president that he expects the other Arab states to increase their support for the Israel-Palestinian peace efforts.
He believes that the assistance can come in two possible ways. Firstly, by means of wide-ranging financial aid to the Palestinian Authority, allowing it to improve the Palestinian people’s condition.
“Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing states of the Gulf, in particular, have the resources to make a profound investment in Israeli-Palestinian peace…and we must urge them to do just that,” Obama wrote.
The second possibility is by means of the Arab states’ assistance in enhancing the process. “The Arab states should support the Palestinians and prepare their own people for peace by making gestures of normalization toward Israel.
"The entire regional atmosphere would improve,” wrote Obama who hopes that “Arab governments would reach out to Israelis with a sincere indication of their readiness to accept Israel as a legitimate nation in the Middle East."
In contrast with the cold stance the Bush government took on the Turkish initiative for peace between Israel and Syria,
Obama wrote Bush that this “is encouraging news, and it should spur the United States to support the parties’ efforts to achieve their goal of a negotiated settlement.”

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Obama plans visit to Israel this summer - Israel News, Ynetnews

Tags: barack-obama, world-tour, summer-2008, israel, jews, candidate, campaign-2008, europe, middle-east, jewish-vote on 2008-06-29 -All Annotations (0) -About

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Obama plans visit to Israel this summer
In unusual pre-election tour,
US presidential candidate to visit Europe, Middle East in effort to boost his foreign policy credentials.
Trip to Israel may reinforce Jewish vote
Associated Press

Published: 06.28.08,
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama plans to visit the Middle East and Europe this summer, taking time off from campaigning in the United States in an effort to boost his foreign policy credentials.
Obama's campaign told AP the likely nominee will travel to Jordan,
Israel,
Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
The Illinois senator also has said he intends to visit Iraq and Afghanistan this summer; his campaign would not say whether those stops would be part of the trip to the Middle East and Europe.
The campaign also would not disclose the dates of any of the plans in an attempt to protect Obama's security.
Obama's campaign manager said this past week that Iraq and Afghanistan would be part of an official congressional trip.
The other stops are part of a campaign-funded visit.
It is unusual for a presidential candidate to travel internationally so close to Election Day, especially in a closely fought campaign.
Obama had considered such a trip last year, but the competitive primary with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton made it too risky to spend time away from early primary states.
Obama foreign policy adviser Denis McDonough said the senator wants to consult with leaders of some important US allies about common challenges, including terrorism, nuclear proliferation, climate change, Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran.
Likely to improve America's standing
"He obviously wants to consult with the leaders of those countries but also find an opportunity to speak to the people of those countries about our shared values and goals," McDonough said in an interview Saturday.
The stop in Israel could help improve Obama's standing among Jewish voters.
Some Jews are concerned about Obama's willingness to speak with Middle Eastern nations that oppose Israel, while others wonder whether he is a closet Muslim.
Obama's father and stepfather were both Muslim and he spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, a largely Muslim country.
But he says he is a Christian, was a longtime member of Chicago's Trinity United Church and attended secular and Catholic schools.
The trip also will help address Republican rival John McCain's criticism that the first-term Illinois senator lacks the international experience to be commander in chief.
In particular, McCain and the Republican Party have sought to make the case that Obama has not observed conditions in Iraq closely enough to determine whether his plan to remove all combat troops within 16 months is the right course of action.
Obama made his only trip to Iraq in January 2006 as part of a congressional delegation.
McCain, a senator from Arizona and Vietnam War veteran, has been to Iraq eight times, most recently in March.
An Associated Press-Yahoo News poll taken this month found that 61% of those surveyed see McCain as a good military leader, compared with 27% for Obama.
But they see Obama as more likely to improve America's standing in the world, 43% to 33% who said the same about McCain.
Obama to Bush: Hamas must recognize Israel / Yitzhak Benhorin

Democratic presidential candidate sends Bush letter expressing unwavering support for Israel. 'We must press Egypt to devote more resources and effort to stopping the smuggling of weapons into Gaza,' he says

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The Hindu : National : 11-day prayer for Obama’s success

Tags: obama, idol, india, monkey-god, charm, blessing, spirit, candidate, usa, president, democrat, idol-worship, demonic, gift on 2008-06-27 and saved by2 people -All Annotations (0) -About

more fromwww.thehindu.com

11-day prayer for Obama’s success
NEW DELHI: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama can now expect help from an unexpected quarter — Lord Hanuman.
All-India Congress Committee member Brij Mohan Bhama has organised a 11-day religious ceremony at Karol Bagh here for his success in the U.S. elections.
The idea of sending an idol of Hanuman dawned on him after friends in the United States mentioned a “prominent American politician who carried a miniature Hanuman idol in his pocket for luck,” Mr. Bhama said speaking on the first day of the ceremony on Tuesday.
The first-day ceremony, pranapratishta, or infusion of divine life into an idol, was performed by a dozen priests reciting mantras in tandem.
It was attended by Democrats Abroad India chairperson Carolyn Sauvage, who spent over an hour at the venue.
The idol was later kept in the sanctum sanctorum of the Sankat Mochan Dham, where it will be kept for 10 more days. Mr. Bhama said several temples in New Delhi had already expressed an interest in keeping the idol for worship on their premises before it begins its journey across the Atlantic.
Along with the idol, a copy of Hanuman Chalisa, a compilation of hymns in praise of the Lord, would be sent.
“We will ensure that Mr. Obama receives the idol by August 24, a day before the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado,” said Mr. Bhama.

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The Times of India - Reader's Comments

Interesting comments from readers around the world on the Hindus sending Obama a Hindu idol.

Tags: comments, hindu-god, idol, hindus, muslim, christian, pagan, election, 2008, candidate, obama on 2008-06-27 -All Annotations (12) -About

more fromtimesofindia.indiatimes.com

Nabeel,Delhi, India,says:
Its a sad revelation that he has an association with a Hindu idol.
I think he is not sure what he believes in considering his background, recently he left his pastor.
Add Sticky Note
- The fact is, Nabeel, Obama doesn't believe in anything; though he might believe in whatever will help get him elected as President of the United States. Some would call this pantheism. I call it "opportunism."
  posted by visigoth on 2008-06-27 02:17:18
By the way, if the christians study the Bible they would realize that Islam is the religion by God and Christianity is Paul made.
Add Sticky Note
- Pardon me: but I thought Islam was "Mohammed made."
  posted by visigoth on 2008-06-27 02:18:08
If hindus study their ancient scriptures they would know that the most closest religion to their scriptures is Islam.
Add Sticky Note
- Here we go.....
  posted by visigoth on 2008-06-27 02:19:14
Scott,NC, USA,says:
Putting trust in superstious idols is the same as worshiping idols. Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus through prayer and service. Hindu is a belief in "gods" in the form of trinckets and a fear of coming back as a roach or gnat.
Christians are called to worship God alone.
Jesus said, "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Fater except through me".
[26 Jun, 2008 1717hrs IST]
Steve,Cardiff, UK,says:
American Christians worship the Stars and Stripes and the Star of David. What part of "Thou shalt have no other gods before me do these hypocrites not understand?

They also support America's foreign wars - What part of "Thou shalt not kill" do they have difficulty with?
[26 Jun, 2008 1448hrs IST]
Add Sticky Note
- Yeah well, Steve, you certainly did not mind these war mongering Christians peeling Adolph and his Nazi hordes off your sorry, ungrateful Celtic ass, (Anglo-Saxon asses too for that matter). Had it not been for a great number of war mongering Christian Americans you aa would be goose stepping and singing the Horst Wessel Lide.
  posted by visigoth on 2008-06-27 02:23:12
bk,Mumbai,says:
Hi Americans,

Please be liberal.

Respect all beliefs.

Vote Obama
[26 Jun, 2008 1416hrs IST]
Add Sticky Note
- Yes..Americans..vote for Obama. All the world just loves "heem."!! Why doesn't Obama just run for "president of the world" then if.....:0 Oh My! That comes after the American election, doesn't it?
  posted by visigoth on 2008-06-27 02:25:15
Manish P,Delhi,says:
These comments from US "Christians" reflect the hypocracy that US stands for. You guys to a freedom of religion analysis under the guise of human rights for all countries of the world.
Who gave u this right when in your own country this is the status of 'freedom of religion' ...that is castigating a person for accepting some token of another religion.
The attitude of these "evangelics" writing posts here sucks to the core. You people are biggest hypocrites on this earth.
[26 Jun, 2008 1053hrs IST]
Add Sticky Note
- Yeah well, Manesh..: you wouldn't know what a real Evangelical is, a Christian for that matter,, if one slapped you between the eyes! I think India has enough problems, you need to look inward and take care of your own country. As an American, I could not care less what you Hoodoos think or want!
  posted by visigoth on 2008-06-27 02:28:33

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Obama to get Hanuman idol-India-The Times of India

Tags: obama, monkey-god, idol, india, sanctified, blessing, hanuman, demon, demonic, democrat, candidate, campaign-2008, antichrist, religion, pagan on 2008-06-27 -All Annotations (2) -About

more fromtimesofindia.indiatimes.com

Obama to get Hanuman idol
24 Jun 2008,
NEW DELHI: With Democrat senator
Barack Obama busy in the run-up to the US presidential polls, a group of
well-wishers in the capital have decided to send him a symbol of his lucky
charm, Lord Hanuman, to help him emerge victorious.
Obama to get Hanuman idol
The idol is being presented to Obama as he is reported
to be a Lord Hanuman devotee and carries with him a locket of the monkey god
along with other good luck charms.
An hour-long prayer meeting to
sanctify the idol was earlier organised at Sankat Mochan Dham and by Congress
leader Brijmohan Bhama, Balmiki Samaj and the temple's priests.
Obama's
representative Carolyn Sauvage-Mar on Tuesday received a gold-plated
two-feet-high idol which she will pass it on to the Obama after it is
sanctified.
"Obama has deep faith in Lord Hanuman and that is why we are
presenting an idol of Hanuman to him," said Bhama.
Add Sticky Note
- All things to all people at all times in all kinds of ways...all over.
  posted by visigoth on 2008-06-27 01:39:05
Accepting the
souvenir, Sauvage-Mar, who is chairperson of Democrats Abroad-India, said,
"Obama has extended his thanks for the support."
However, questions
on Obama's religious beliefs elicited just a smile from Sauvage-Mar, apparently
to avoid controversy back home where the Democrat senator is pitted against the
Republican Party's John McCain in the Presidential polls.
The idol
will be kept at the temple for 11 more days and then sent to US.
"We
will perform the prayers for 11 days and then hand the idol to Carolyn who will
send it to Obama," said the temple priest.

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Many abroad welcome Obama's win -- baltimoresun.com

The whole world wonders after him..captivated by him and enthralled

Tags: obama, world, appeal, enthralled, candidate, campaign, election-2008, global, popular on 2008-06-25 -All Annotations (4) -About

more fromwww.baltimoresun.com

Many abroad welcome Obama's win
Associated Press

June 5, 2008
LONDON - Barack Obama's triumph over Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination triggered jubilation among his relatives in Kenya, hope among people around the world and a few questions about what this inspiring, charismatic politician actually stands for.
Many expressed optimism yesterday that a November victory by Obama - a black American with relatives in Africa and childhood friends in Asia - would mark a major shift from the deeply unpopular administration of President Bush.
In Kenya, home to Obama's family on his father's side, the Kenya Times newspaper devoted its front page to the story, under the headline "Obama makes history."
In Mexico City, hairdresser Susan Mendoza said when she learned Obama had clinched the nomination: "Bush was for the elite. Obama is of the people."
The excitement was less about Obama's foreign policy - which remains vague - than a sense that his victory marks a historic moment.
Michael Cox, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, said Obama's win "has sent out a lot of positive signals around the world."
"He has a very appealing persona - elegant, fluent, strings lots of sentences together into paragraphs," Cox said. "But in terms of [his] actual policies toward the Middle East, Iraq, Iran, China, Europe - actually, we don't know."
That uncertainty did little to dampen enthusiasm for Obama.
The German government's coordinator on U.S. relations, Karsten Voigt, said many Germans "find [Obama's] mixture of Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy very attractive."
Jean-Marc Damier, a 39-year-old man from the Paris suburbs who works in marketing, said Obama's relative lack of experience could be an asset.
"The candidate's freshness can only do good, because the way things have been done before created a mess," he said.
Add Sticky Note
- You "ain't" seen nothing yet, Monsieur Damier.
  posted by visigoth on 2008-06-25 20:36:34
The Times of London, which proclaimed in a headline that "Obama waits on the threshold of history,"
said in an editorial that Obama's campaign "has rekindled America's faith in its prodigious powers of reinvention - and the world's admiration for America."
France's Le Monde said Obama's grass-roots campaign, which attracted thousands of young supporters, "demonstrated that American democracy is not doomed to being confiscated by a narrow political class, financed by lobbies and piloted by communication experts."
Add Sticky Note
- Yeah..democracy had a lot to do with it.
  posted by visigoth on 2008-06-25 20:37:55
Obama opposed the invasion and has called for an early troop withdrawal.
He has also shown willingness to engage in dialogue with Iran, North Korea and Cuba - nations long isolated by U.S. policies.
Jorge Serguera, a 70-year-old retiree in Havana, said he thought that, if elected, Obama would work to loosen Washington's nearly 50-year-old trade embargo against Cuba. Obama is "a thinking man of ethics and ideals," he said.
Many Asians welcomed the selection of a candidate perceived as more aware of the world outside U.S. borders than Bush.
The Hawaii-born son of a Kenyan father and a mother who was born in Kansas, Obama spent several years of his childhood in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Indonesians were rooting yesterday for the man they consider a hometown hero.
Obama lived in the predominantly Muslim nation from age 6 to 10 with his mother and Indonesian stepfather, and he was fondly remembered by former teachers and classmates.
"He was an average student but very active," said Widianto Hendro Cahyono, 48, who was in the same third-grade class as Obama at SDN Menteng elementary school in Jakarta.
I never imagined he would become a great man."
A Chinese scholar said that while he did not expect major changes in U.S. foreign policy, an Obama White House would have a very different tone from a Bush one.
"He will bring new energy into America's domestic politics and foreign policies," said Zhu Feng, deputy director at the Center of International and Strategic Studies at Peking University in Beijing.
However, Obama has made himself unpopular in Pakistan by saying the United States should act alone on information about terrorist targets within the country's national borders, leading some to believe he will be worse for the country than Bush.
the 46-year-old Illinois senator

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Barack Obama Biography - Biography.com

Tags: 1961, 2008, barack-obama, bio, birth, candidate, data, democrat, election, hawaii on 2008-06-25 -All Annotations (0) -About

in list: Politics USA

more fromwww.biography.com

Barack Obama Biography
(1961-)
QUICK FACTS
Born: August 4, 1961 (Hawaii)
Lives in: Chicago, Illinois
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Height: 6' 1" (1.87m)
Parents: Barack Obama, Sr. (from Kenya) and Ann Dunham (from Kansas)
Religion: United Church of Christ
Education:
- Graduated: Columbia University (1983) - Major: Political Science
- Law Degree from Harvard (1991) - Major: J.D. - Magna Cum Laude
- Attended: Occidental College
Career: U.S. Senator from Illinois sworn in January 4, 2005
Government Committees:
- Foreign Relations Committee