Obama

Thought you guys would appreciate this: during the UN security council meetings about the situation in Gaza, Obama sent a letter to the UN ambassador telling him not to accept a resolution that does anything to criticize Israel. I wrote a letter to Obama (he's my senator after all) and just received this response from his office. They don't say much...but it's interesting just the same.

Dear Victoria:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the situation in Gaza. I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter.

I share your concern about the impact of closed border crossings on Palestinian families. Israel sealed the Gaza border on January 17 following a rise in rocket attacks, which Hamas has been conducting on civilians in southern Israel for over two years. As you know, after Israel eased the blockade days later to provide badly-needed fuel to Gaza's 1.5 million residents, rocket assaults continued to fall on civilian areas in Israel.

It is important to understand why Israel was forced to close the Gaza border. Gaza is governed by Hamas, which is a terrorist organization sworn to Israel's destruction, and Israeli civilians have been bombarded by rockets on an almost daily basis. This assault is unacceptable, and Israel has a right to respond while seeking to minimize any impact on civilians.

With regard to the broader Middle East, developments such as the June 2007 Hamas military takeover of the Gaza Strip, domestic political turmoil in Lebanon, and the Palestinians' struggle to form a unity government all underscore what a critical time this is in the region. The Annapolis Conference in November was a hopeful development because Israelis and Palestinians engaged in serious discussions again and neighboring countries were involved, and I commend Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas for making the effort. Diplomacy can save lives, and it is my hope that the Annapolis talks are just the start of a sustained push by the United States, the Israelis and the Palestinians to achieve the goal of two states living side-by-side in peace and security.

Ultimately, this peace can only occur through an agreement that fulfills the aspirations of both the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples. I will work with the Administration and others in Congress toward this end. In the meantime, I encourage all parties to refrain from actions that will cause further loss of innocent life or will delay further a lasting peace.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to keep in touch with me on this or any other matter of importance to you.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama
United States Senator