There is much talk about Democratic candidate Barak Obama, and here in Israel, the focus is naturally on “Will he be good for Israel?” I have certainly not dealt with this issue on this blog (mainly due to time constraints), and don’t feel the urgent need to for now, especially with some excellent analysis elsewhere (such as over at Israel Matzav).
Having said that, I would like to draw your attention to the following report from the palestinian Ramattan news agency:
A Palestinian youth from Gaza is working hard in day and night as a for free volunteer appealing the American citizens to vote for the US presidency democratic candidate Senator Barak Obama.
Ibrahim Abu Jayyab, 23, living in the besieged Gaza Strip, decided to support Obama in his harsh competition against the republican Hillary Clinton in the running US presidency election campaign.
Abu Jayyab, who studies media in Gaza, says that he uses a for-free internet communication soft ware programs to call as much as possible US citizens calling them to vote for Obama.
He spends long hours on internet and watching TV news to follow up any developments on the running elections in the United States.
Abu Jayyab tries to realize the state or city where the elections are going to be held, and then he phones people at the same state.
“I phone tens or hundreds of random phone nombers calling them to vote for Obama because he is the man of the future,” Abu Jayyab told RNA reporter.
He thinks that if Obama becomes the US President he will help the Palestinians to achieve their dreams.
“We can not achieve our dreams because of the Israeli occupation, the world did not help us to end the Israeli occupation,” he said “we hope Obama will achieve what the world could not, to help us to live in peace and to achieve our dreams.”
Abu Jayyab believes that as Obama from an Islamic origin and from those who oppressed a long the history, he thinks that he will absorb the suffer of the Palestinians and will not hesitate to help them.
The media student also faces the problem of the frequent power cut in the Gaza Strip that prevents him to use his PC or to follow the updated news of the elections.
The Israelis reduced fuel to the sole power plant in Gaza as a part of the siege on Gaza saying that such procedure is retaliation on firing home-made projectiles on Israeli towns.
Abu Jayyab is preparing to “launch new campaign” in Ohio and Texas states on the 4th of the coming March.
He says that he is admired in the personality of Obama and his skill in convincing others in his statements and debates.
However…
But, Abu Jayyab is so “disappointed and upset” because of Obama because he did not mention to the suffer and the security of the Palestinian people when he said that the security of Israel is “holy”.
“Why Senator Obama did not mention to the daily killing the Palestinian people lives in, why he did not talk about the siege on Gaza? What about security, is it not sacrosanct?” he said.
In TV discussion issues of anti-Semitism, with Hilary Clinton, Obama said Tuesday: “… I have been a stalwart friend of Israel and supported the special relationship we enjoy with it… they are among our most important allies and their security is sacrosanct.”
But Abu Jayyab mentioned that he has exceeded such issue and would continue his campaign to support Obama.
Update: And in the interests of fairness, I will also post this link to part of a Ynet interview with Obama, in which the latter presents his views on Israel, the palestinians and Iran.