WASHINGTON (AFP) — On his first day as presumptive Democratic nominee, Barack Obama on Wednesday provoked a foreign policy row with Palestinian leaders after pouring lavish praise on Israel.
The victorious Democratic presidential candidate said Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of Israel, and said any Israel-Palestinian peace deal must preserve Israel's integrity as a Jewish state.
His comments on Jerusalem triggered immediate condemnation from across the Palestinian political spectrum, a possible political boon to Obama, who Republicans have slammed as the favored candidate of Islamist movement Hamas.
In his first foreign policy speech of the general election, Obama spoke to the US-Israel lobby, targeting a perceived weakness with Jewish voters, and Republican claims he is naive on national security.
"I will bring to the White House an unshakeable commitment to Israel's security," Obama said, in a speech which lacerated the Iran and Iraq policies of his Republican general election foe Senator John McCain.
Opening his speech to the America-Israel Public Affairs Council (AIPAC), Obama mentioned anonymous emails which he said were circulating among the Jewish community and were fall of "tall tales" about his commitment to Israel.
"All I want to say is, -- let me know if you see this guy named Barack Obama, because he sounds pretty scary!" said Obama, who basked in his new-found status and was frequently interrupted by standing ovations.
He said "the bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable today, unbreakable tomorrow, and unbreakable for ever."
"Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided," Obama said.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's show of support for the Jewish state was "very moving."
"His appearance was very impressive. His words on Jerusalem were very moving," Olmert told reporters after meeting US President George W. Bush in the White House, although the Israeli leader refused to give direct reaction to Obama's statement that Jerusalem should remain the undivided capital of Israel.
Obama's remarks brought a swift condemnation from Hamas, which may prove to be politically advantageous to the Illinois senator.
"We consider the statements of Obama to be further evidence of the hostility of the American administration to Arabs and Muslims," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain's campaign has been attacking Obama over the Islamist movement after a Hamas aide Ahmed Yousef reportedly said in April, "we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will (win) the election."
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas also condemned the remarks.
"We reject these words," Abbas said in the Palestinian political capital of Ramallah.
"Jerusalem is one of the files under negotiation. The entire world knows perfectly well that we will never accept a state without (east) Jerusalem (as its capital). That should be clear."
In 1980, Israel adopted a basic law making the city its "eternal, undivided capital" but the move has never been recognised by the international community, which regards all settlements on occupied Palestinian land as illegal.
In an ironic coincidence, President George W. Bush Wednesday extended a waiver of a law requiring the US government to move its embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, which he does every six months.
Republicans have also hammered Obama over his offer to talk to leaders of US foe Iran, saying the strategy ignores repeated warnings by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to destroy Israel, but he said he would not continue "failed" policies of Bush.
Obama also vowed in the speech in a cavernous conference center here to "eliminate" the threat from Iran's nuclear program.
"Its president denies the Holocaust and threatens to wipe Israel off the map. The danger from Iran is grave, it is real, and my goal will be to eliminate this threat."
But he also renewed his offer to hold talks with Iranian leaders, as part of an "aggressive" program of diplomacy "if, and only if, it can advance the interests of the United States."
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