Obama sees Himself as a "Devoted Partner" of Israel.

The Democratic presidential candidate tried in Jerusalem to win the hearts of the American Jewish electorate.

The purpose of Barack Obama’s visit to Israel on Wednesday was not simply to display his qualities an internationally-savvy statesman; it also strongly pertained to American domestic politics.

No candidate to the White House has had as much to bear when faced with the Jewish-American electorate’s worry and suspicion as Obama. Whether it be due to some of his positions, as with his call to dialog with Iran’s president Ahmadinejad, or because of his childhood, spent in a Muslim country, his character does not seem to persuade this important section of the electorate. Obama has therefore taken advantage of his trip to loudly proclaim “his commitment to Israel’s security.”

Praising the “miracle” of the creation of the Hebrew state, Obama said he wished to reinforce the ties between Israel and the United States if he were to become President, and to make Israel’s security one of his Administration’s priorities.

“Im here on this trip to reaffirm the special relationship between Israel and the United States, 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,” Obama said during his talk with Israel’s president, Shimon Peres.

Obama also met with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, former Prime Minister Ehud Barack, the current Defense Minister, and Opposition Leader Benyamin Netanyahou as well as Tzipi Livni, the government’s ambitious Minister of Foreign affairs, and an overt rival of Olmert.

No Forced Concessions

Passing through the country at a frenetic pace, he went Wednesday morning to the Yad Vashem memorial, dedicated to the victims of the Shoah. Wearing a white kippa, Obama took a moment to reflect in the sanctuary. “We are blessed to have such a powerful reminder of man’s potential for great evil, but also out capacity to rise up from tragedy and remake our world,” he wrote in the memorial’s guest book.

After a brief meet-up with President Mahmoud Abbas, Obama went to Sderot, the Israeli city most affected by rockets launched from Gaza. John McCain also went to Sderot during his tour, four months ago.

Obama reaffirmed that Israel had every right to defend its citizens from attack. “I can assure you, if someone was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would be doing everything in my power to stop that, and I would expect Israelis to do the same thing.”

The Democratic candidate went even further promising that if he were elected president, not to force Israel to make concessions for the peace process which could potentially endanger the country. “I don’t think that Minister Livni or Minister Barak or Bibi [Benyamin Netanyahou’s nickname] or the others, or President Perez, when they spoke to me today got any sense that I would be pressuring them to accept any kinds of concessions that would put their security at stake,” he explained.

He also considered the Israeli authority’s concerns with the Iranian nuclear menace. “A nuclear Iran would be a game changing situation not just in the Middle East, but around the world. Whatever remains of our nuclear non-proliferation framework, I think would begin to disintegrate.”

Far From “Moderate”

Unlike the portrayal sometimes made of him in foreign countries, notably so in Europe, Barack Obama is far from “moderate” in terms of foreign policy. By strongly affirming his engagement with Israel, he hopes for his Republican opponent’s portrayal of him as a defeatist and a pacifist not to hold. But he is more importantly sending a message to the American Jewish electorate, traditionally a democratic mainstay, at least until the last few years, which he hopes to rally around him. After having triumphed over his rival Hillary Clinton, Obama must now gather his electoral base, and fight his characterization as a moderate. His Israeli sojourn was therefore for the most part intended for an American audience.

As soon as he arrived in Tel-Aviv, Obama strongly condemned the attack a few hours prior by a Palestinian upon passersby in the middle of Jerusalem with an excavator, near the King David hotel, where Obama was to stay later on. “This is a reminder of what Israelis have courageously lived with on a daily basis for far too long. I strongly condemn this attack and will always support Israel in confronting terrorism and pursuing lasting peace and security,” he said.