Obama in Israel

As the UN highlights the humanitarian crisis a mile away from where Senator Obama chose to celebrate "Sderot" on his Middle East tour, Afshin Rattansi interviews an analyst in Gaza. SDEROT, Israel — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says it's in the interest of Israeli security to arrive at a lasting peace with the Palestinians, and called Iran the biggest common threat to U.S. and Israeli security. Obama spoke at a press conference in Sderot, near the Gaza border. The city has been a frequent target of rocket attacks from Palestinian militants. Shards of rockets were in stacks behind Obama as a reminder of ongoing attacks. In Obama's words: "America must always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself against those who threaten its people." He also said that Jerusalem will be the capital of Israel, but the issue should be dealt with by the parties involved. Obama had raised eyebrows earlier in the campaign when he raised the issue; Palestinians also consider Jerusalem as their capital city. And in an apparent show of friendship, the mayor of Sderot gave Obama a T-shirt at the end of the press conference. Also showing it to the pool of reporters, the shirt read "I [heart] Sderot." Piercing the center of the heart appeared to be a missile.

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YouTube | July 23, 2008

Tags:. .attacks. .near. .interest. .appeared. .presidential