http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3617465,00.html US Elections
Obama. Secret remarks? Photo: Reuters
Report: Obama voiced support for Palestinians' right to Jerusalem
Lebanese newspaper says Democratic presidential hopeful told Abbas, Fayyad he would support their right to stable sovereign state
Roee Nahmias Published: 11.04.08, 11:59 / Israel News
The Palestinian Authority has refrained from officially declaring its support for one of the US presidential hopefuls, claiming this was an "internal American issue", but a Lebanese newspaper reported Tuesday that Palestinian leaders in the West Bank are hoping for Democrat Barack Obama's victory.
Sources in Ramallah told the al-Akhbar daily that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad are expecting Obama to win, "despite his leaning towards Israel," which they said was aimed at gaining the support of the Israel and the Jewish lobby in the United States.
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The sources said that during a recent meeting with Obama, the two Palestinian leaders "heard the best things they ever heard from an American president."
According to the report, the Democratic senator told Abbas and Fayyad that he "supports the rights of the Palestinians to east Jerusalem, as well as their right to a stable, sovereign state", but asked them to keep the remarks a secret.
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Abbas' advisor Nimar Hamad did not comment on the report, but told the Lebanese paper that "the Palestinian Authority briefed Obama on the dangers threatening the efforts to achieve peace in the region, and told him that the ongoing construction in the settlements will terminate the peace process.
"The Palestinian Authority views the American elections as an internal matter and does not favor one person over another. The PA hopes that the next American president will fulfill his commitment towards the Palestinians and pressure Israel," Hamad added.