by Robert Wiener
NJJN Staff Writer

January 31, 2008

Speaking to Jewish reporters eight days before the Super Tuesday primaries, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) declared he was an ardent supporter of Israel and a firm opponent of anti-Semitism.

Then, after answering questions for nearly a half-hour in a multi-state conference call Jan. 28, Obama added a postscript, saying he wished to answer what he called “a constant and virulent smear campaign” charging that he is a secret Muslim who swore his oath of office on a Koran and refuses to salute the American flag.

“This is a falsehood that has been perpetuated and is distressing to me and to a lot of my Jewish friends…and my strong and deep commitment to the Jewish community should not be questioned,” Obama told NJ Jewish News and reporters from Israeli and other Jewish newspapers.

A conference call that touched on Darfur, Iran, and his pastor’s alleged support of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan came after a period in which Obama’s stands on “Jewish” issues were the subject of scurrilous Internet rumor and at least one organizational memo.

Earlier this month seven Jewish senators and leaders of nine national Jewish organizations denounced the Internet-based attacks as false and divisive.

At the same time, the American Jewish Committee distanced itself from a leaked internal memo by one of its counsel’s questioning of some of Obama’s Mideast policies. AJCommittee sent a letter to Obama’s campaign saying its leaders “regret” any inaccuracies the memorandum might have contained.

In introductory remarks to reporters, Obama spoke of “America’s friendship with the Israeli people.” Referring to his visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum during a trip to Jerusalem, he said he was committed to an active battle against genocide in Darfur and had spent much time “combating anti-Semitism and the threat of terrorism around the world that Israelis face with such resolve.”

Obama pledged “unqualified support as president to ensure Israel’s military superiority in this difficult neighborhood. We stand with Israel’s democracy,” he said.

Obama also emphasized that he “deplored the anti-Semitic views of Louis Farrakhan and I have done so since I was a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago 20 years ago.” His remark came in response to a question about the praise the NOI leader had received from a magazine published by the pastor of Obama’s Trinity United Church in Chicago.

Obama said he “would have quit the church” if he had heard its pastor make anti-Semitic statements. He said a magazine connected with Trinity United “made a mistake in praising Farrakhan, primarily for his work in economic independence.”

Then Obama added, “What Minister Farrakhan has said in the past is unacceptable. You cannot excuse such statements. People don’t understand the pain they have caused, and I will continue to speak out against anti-Semitism in all its forms.”

Supporting a two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, the senator said, “We should try to encourage moderate Palestinians in the West Bank to crack down on terrorist activity and root out the corruption that I think has made it very difficult to gain credibility with their people. Until the Israelis get some confidence that whatever is negotiated is going to be followed through on, I think it is going to be difficult.”

Obama called the status of Jerusalem one issue “the parties themselves have to agree on, but the outlines of any agreement would ensure that Israel remains a Jewish state.”

He said Palestinians’ demand for a “right of return” of refugees to homes currently in Israel “is something that is understood as not an option, although the compensation issue might be resolved.”

Asked about Hamas, Obama said, “Until Hamas renounces terrorism and recognizes Israel, it is very hard to have serious negotiations with them…. Over the long term, the only way Hamas comes to the table is if it recognizes the legitimacy of those across the table from it. Whatever grievances it may have are not going to be resolved at the end of a barrel of a gun.”

Incentives for Iran

The senator said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used “reprehensible language with respect to Israel. It is not acceptable and the United States should condemn it in the strongest terms.” But he noted that “diplomacy is not only talking to your friends; it is talking to your enemies. The Bush strategy of not talking has not worked. It has not dampened Iran’s anti-Israeli position.”

Instead, he proposed giving the Iranians “incentives to behave differently. Right now, our unwillingness to talk has produced further defiance and has empowered extremists like Ahmadinejad and weakened more moderate forces inside Iran…. We should keep the pressure on Iran. But I also think we should say to them directly, ‘If you are willing to change your attitude toward Israel and stand down for the long term on nuclear weapons and stop funding Hamas and Hizbullah, we can provide a hope of economic benefits and diplomatic exchanges.’”

Winding up the call, Obama said he wanted to refute what he called “scurrilous falsehoods” that “are having traction in the Jewish community.”

“It is very important for people to know that I’ve never practiced Islam,” he said. “I was raised by my secular mother. I have been a member of the Christian religion and an active Christian and was sworn in with my hand on my family Bible and have been pledging allegiance since I was three years old.”

Urging reporters to “use their megaphones” to spread his denials, the senator said he wanted “to make sure that people get it from the horse’s mouth.”