Israelis and Palestinians backing Obama
Published 04 November, 2008, 07:09
With the whole world following the American election, the events are not only about the US. The occupant of the White House can make their presence felt all over the world, creating much hostility in some regions and affection in others.
Israel has long been a focus of US foreign policy and there are high expectations for both candidates here.
Palestinians understand that while the Hamas revolution was important for their future, what proves even more important is who will be the next president of the United States.
“We thought about a way to support Obama and we found a computer program on the internet that can call phones and mobiles in the USA. Through that we tried to contact the people randomly to get them to vote for Obama,” said Abdel Khaleq Mansour, an Obama supporter.
Eight years of Republican policy has made life no better for the Palestinians. While Washington's focus was on Iraq, the people here think that's allowed Israel to do whatever it wanted in the West Bank and Gaza.The Palestinians see the Republican administration as being anti-Muslim and they believe the Jewish lobby in the US is too powerful over American foreign policy.
“If Obama wins I think there will be change. I think there will be a change in foreign policy. They have to give some rights to the Palestinians,” said Naef Rashid Sadidi, an American Palestinian voting in the United States.
If the Palestinians are for Barack Obama, then you might expect Israelis to get behind John McCain. Senator McCain was very active in the Jewish lobby in the United States and is known to support Israel.
As most Israelis feel that the American elections are their own personal elections, they have had a chance to have their say.
At convenience stores throughout Israel, customers were asked whether they wanted McCain or Obama cups of coffee. The results were surprising. Of 60 000 coffees sold, 61 per cent went for Obama and only 39 per cent for McCain.
With 120 000 Americans living in Israel, if Barack Obama is elected the next U.S. president, he will be under pressure to cut a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians which actually lasts.
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