Obama and Palestinian Rights
EmailSen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, is riding high with his securing the nomination right now, but tomorrow morning he will head before an audience containing some skeptics when he speaks before the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC.
As he prepares to do so, excerpts of an interview for the liberal Democracy Now! television and radio show is making the rounds on the Internet, and showed up on Fox News Channel.
It’s an interview from January 2008 with Palestinian activist Ali Abunimah, co-founder of the online publication The Electronic Intifada and the author of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse.
Abunimah condemns how the presidential candidates have "all gone out of the way to express full support for what Israel is doing" in its policies towards the Palestinians. "Barack Obama is not distinguished from the rest of the pack except from how far he has moved to try to appear AIPAC and pro-Israel movement."
The Palestinian activist says "I knew Barack Obama for many years as my state senator, when he used to attend events in the Palestinian community in Chicago all the time. I remember personally introducing him on stage in 1999 when we had a major community fundraiser for the community center in the Dheisheh Refugee Camp in the occupied West Bank. And that’s just one example of how Barack Obama used to be very comfortable speaking up for and being associated with Palestinian rights and opposing the Israeli occupation."
Abunimah takes issue with the fact that "just yesterday he apparently sent a letter to Zalmay Khalizad the US Ambassador to the United Nations to urge the US not to allow any resolution to pass criticizing Israel and saying how Israel was forced to impose this barbaric medieval siege on Israel."
You can watch the key part here– the clip comes at about 32:53 in the show. The clip being excerpted on the web and elsewhere doesn’t mention Obama’s current stance, or his letter to Khalizad, but rather just the claims made by Abunimah.
Many Clintonistas and Republicans have spent a lot of time trying to gin up Jewish suspicion to Obama’s stated support for Israel. Others have pushed back, including the pro-Israel editors of the New York Sun and supporters such as Rep. Robert Wexler, D-FL, who co-chaired Obama’s Florida campaign and has said, "I have spoken with Barack to discuss the dangers facing our ally Israel, and I am convinced there will be no stronger supporter of Israel than President Obama."
Sen. John McCain and the Republicans’ gloves come off tonight.
-jpt
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OBAMA WINS OBAMA WINS OBAMA WINS!!!
Posted by: bhrandon | June 3, 2008, 9:04 pm 9:04 pm
Save our country.
Sen McCain-08
Posted by: whatever | June 3, 2008, 9:05 pm 9:05 pm
More of the same for Obama. More of the same!
Posted by: A | June 3, 2008, 9:21 pm 9:21 pm
Obama’s shady associates just keep coming and coming and coming and …
Posted by: A | June 3, 2008, 9:29 pm 9:29 pm
Perhaps you somehow missed the news. A black man, for the first time in American history is the presumptive nominee for the President of the United States. It matters. It will matter for the rest of our lives.
The Headline is not Obama and Palestinian Rights – even in the israeli papers. Take a look.
Posted by: Mara | June 3, 2008, 9:32 pm 9:32 pm
westcoastmessenger, welcome to the crew. we need not only clinton, we need you too.
Posted by: vuzous | June 3, 2008, 9:34 pm 9:34 pm
HILLARY SUPPORTERS
What will you do now?
Posted by: A | June 3, 2008, 9:46 pm 9:46 pm
And this is why he will lose in November. Just ONE of the resons he will lose…there’s are many, many reason though..
And to Mara:
NO. BO is NOT the nominee. HE anointed himself the nominee. Neither candidate has enough Pledged Delegates to be the nominee. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? Super Delegates MEAN NOTHING UNTIL THE CONVENTION IN NOVEMBER.
OBAMA IS NOT THE NOMINEE. Period. He just likes to think he is because his arrogance runs away with him.
GO, HILLARY!!!!!!!! TO THE CONVENTION!
Posted by: Vickie | June 3, 2008, 9:46 pm 9:46 pm
correction….forgot to spell check!
And this is why he will lose in November. Just ONE of the reasons he will lose…there’s many, many reason though..
And to Mara:
NO. BO is NOT the nominee. HE anointed himself the nominee. Neither candidate has enough Pledged Delegates to be the nominee. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? Super Delegates MEAN NOTHING UNTIL THE CONVENTION IN NOVEMBER.
OBAMA IS NOT THE NOMINEE. Period. He just likes to think he is because his arrogance runs away with him.
GO, HILLARY!!!!!!!! TO THE CONVENTION!
Posted by: Vickie | June 3, 2008, 9:48 pm 9:48 pm
Vickie
Get over it. Hillary is history. Pelosi remains the queen of DC.
Posted by: A | June 3, 2008, 9:49 pm 9:49 pm
I hope he doesn’t kiss up to them.
Posted by: Julie | June 3, 2008, 10:55 pm 10:55 pm
As I said, Obama is a candidate whose worst enemies are his most fervent supporters.
This will be fun.
Posted by: len | June 3, 2008, 11:01 pm 11:01 pm
Bhrandon,
Yes, we know he wins.
Go celebrate now before it’s too late.
Tomorrow is another day.
Posted by: catleya | June 4, 2008, 2:07 am 2:07 am
Electronic Intifada Guru Abunimah Says Obama Strongly Supported Palestinian Causes
Obama and Palestinian rights from Political Punch reports that as Senator Barack Obama is about to address AIPAC, his support for Palestinian rights is also making an appearance. It’s an interview from January 2008 with Palestinian activist Ali Abunima…
Posted by: PAXALLES | June 4, 2008, 7:08 am 7:08 am
He pandered to the lobby. This was such a bad start to his foreign policy. He is playing to the lobbyists. If he cant stand up to Pro-Israel Lobby how will he stand up to Oil Lobby or pharma lobby. This was appalling pandering..
Posted by: jpr | June 4, 2008, 4:04 pm 4:04 pm
America loses America loses America Loses
With the Obama win then McCain is already the new president.
Posted by: Bob Harold | June 4, 2008, 10:11 pm 10:11 pm