Rafael Ben-Ari: Barack Obama in the Holy Land

American Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama speaking in the rocket-battered southern Israeli town of Sderot, near the Gaza border, July 23, 2008. A collection of spent Kassam rockets appears in the background. Sderot has been the site of frequent Palestinian militant rocket attacks from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. During a visit to Sderot, Obama warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a grave threat to world security. Earlier, he held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, telling him that he would quickly engage in the Middle East peace process if he is elected president, an aide to Abbas said.

American Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama speaking in Sderot, Israel, near the Gaza border, with a collection of spent Kassam rockets in the background on July 23, 2008. The mayor of Sderot, Eli Moyal (2nd from left.), Minister of Israeli Defense Ehud Barak (3rd from left), and Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Tzipi Livni (right.) accompanied Obama at the event.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Mayor of Sderot Eli Moyal and American Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama hold up a t'shirt reading "I love Sderot" in the rocket-battered town of Sderot, Israel, near the Gaza border, July 23, 2008. Behind them is a collection of spent Kassam rockets fired at Israel.