U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama carried out a whirlwind tour of Israel and the Palestinian territories, meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and visiting a rocket-battered town in southern Israel. VOA's Jim Teeple has the details from our Jerusalem bureau. Barack Obama's visit attracted intense scrutiny and interest from both Israelis and Palestinians. The Illinois senator began his day meeting with senior Israeli cabinet members, and then met with Israel's ceremonial head of state President Shimon Peres.
The two men spoke to reporters and Obama, the presumptive nominee of the U.S. Democratic Party, pledged strong support for Israel. "I am here on this trip to reaffirm the special relationship between Israel and the United States and my abiding commitment to Israel's security and my hope that I can serve as an effective partner, whether as a U.S. senator or as president in bringing about a more lasting peace in the region," Obama said.
Obama took that message of commitment to the Middle East peace process to the West Bank city of Ramallah where he met with moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. "Whoever wins the election in the United States we hope they will stay the course - the course of the two-state solution - the course of ending the Israeli occupation - the course of standing shoulder to shoulder with Palestinians and Israelis in order to reach the objective specified in the 'road map' peace plan to create a two-state solution of Palestine and Israel living side-by-side in peace and security," he said.