Obama tours Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM — Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama toured Israel's Holocaust memorial today, laying a wreath in memory of the 6 million Jews who died and saying, "Ultimately, this is a place of hope."
Obama toured the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial on a Jerusalem hillside as he moved through a busy day of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
A senior Palestinian official said Obama assured Palestinian leaders he will get involved in the Mideast conflict quickly if elected president.
The Democratic nominee-in-waiting is on a tour of the Mideast and Europe, a journey financed by his campaign and designed to reassure skeptical voters back home of his ability to serve as commander in chief and guide diplomacy after eight years of the Bush administration.
Obama drew an unusually warm welcome from Israeli President Shimon Peres, who said his greatest wish is for a "great president of the United States. That is the greatest promise for us and the rest of the world."
"God bless you," said the 85-year-old fixture of Israeli politics, who joked that he was speaking as one young man to another. Obama is 46.
At the Holocaust memorial, Obama wore a white skullcap as he laid a wreath in memory of the victims of the Nazis.
Later, he said: "I am always taken back to sort of the core question of humanity that the Holocaust raises. That is, on the one hand, man's great capacity for evil, and on the other hand, our ability to come together to stop evil."
He added, "So despite this record of monumental tragedy this ultimately is a place of hope because it reminds us of our obligations and responsibilities hopefully to raise a better future for our children and our grandchildren." He said he hoped he could bring his two young daughters with him on his next trip.
In signing the guestbook, he wrote, "May we remember those who perished, not only as victims but also as individuals who hoped and loved and dreamed like us, and who have become symbols of the human spirit."
Obama met with Abbas for about an hour at his government headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, a short drive from Jerusalem. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said before the meeting that Abbas would discuss Israel's continued settlement construction, its refusal to ease restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the West Bank and other grievances with Obama.
Abbas aide Saeb Erekat told reporters after the meeting that Obama is willing to engage immediately in the protracted conflict. "Obama confirmed to President Abbas that he will be a constructive partner in the peace process," Erekat said, adding that Obama told Abbas he would "not waste a minute" if elected.
Earlier today, Obama held a breakfast meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
