We have to remember that Obama,as President,must display a professional diplomacy in balancing the peace. With every comment he makes,he is BOUND TO UPSET some selfish,egotistic,myopic,faction.
But our American President has to focus on the majority,globally.
We have had decades of White House administrations who are blatantly pro-Israel(of which Hilarity Tin-Clone and 'sexaphone' Bill are included) to the point of being undiplomatically and APOLITICALLY rascist,biased and negligent of the safety of the USA as merely ONE Nation on a WHOLE PLANET!
And I'm not anti-semitic either.I leave that to the Zionists who are doing a darn good job of that themselves! I prefer universal morals and ethics.
We even ignore,ILLEGALLY,Israels stock-pile of nuclear weapons(our extra cupboard) and history of human rights abuse thereby making OURSELVES complicit,SHOWN VERY BLATANTLY by Monsieurs Bush/Cheney and similar anti-democratic persona such as the Burmese Junta and Mugabe(EBAGUM!)in Zimbabwe.
At least Obama is being a very diplomatic speaker,cum juggler-cum circus maestro,showing that the ordinary,everyday people of Israel(forget politics for a minute)DO have a human right to live in peace and safety,AS DO THE ordinary,everyday Palestinian people,within their OWN internationally recognised home. After all,the most important entity of ANY COUNTRY/State are the grassroots people,at the end of the day!
We can counterbalance Obamas comment on Israel by remembering well that HE ALSO said that he would be willing to speak first UNCONDITIONALLY,diplomatically AND IN A CIVILIZED manner,with Iran to attempt to avoid what should be a VERY LAST RESORT i.e. BLOODSHED AND WAR!!!!!
The very thing that Bush and his war-mongering scum have plunged us into AS A FISRT RESORT based on lies,corruption and profiteering.
Israeli Zionists et al,have been used to America pandering to their EVERY selfish and egotistic whim,using the WW2 genocide of their people(AMONG MANY OTHERS TOO,I might add) by the Nazis,as EMOTIONAL BLACKMAIL to allow them to commit,now,the same offenses over and over again.
Their PREVIOUS pain,will NOT be forgotten,but neither should that wound/scab be OPENED UP again and again,like a festering wound and used as a political 'get-out-of-jail-free' card to wave in the face of other Nations. BORING!!!!!
Europe stopped falling for that cheap trick years ago.
Jeeez! I reckon Obama is doing a grand job,so far,in trying to PLACATE THE(selfish)MASSES! lol!
-He 'upsets' the Palestinians with his AIPAC comments.
-He 'upsets' the Israelis by saying he is open to diplomatic discussion with Iran,(as any intelligent human being would be)
just because Israeli politicians want to "bomb-bomb-bomb,bomb-bomb Iran"-
(as McCain 'jovially' put it in his aged,demented and INTERNATIONALLY inexperienced state)
as quickly as possible AT THE EXPENSE OF ORDINARY PEOPLE IN ALL COUNTRIES INVOLVED!
Israel should not be USING America to stick their own bitter knives,pre-emptively,into Iran for their own myopic purposes,OR VISA VERSA!
Not at the expense of MY CHILDREN,OR THEIRS,MATE!
I think Obama realises full well,that there are more implications at stake and more people on THIS PLANET than just the power-hungry politicians and fundamentalist faith-bashers of ANY ANCIENT RELIGION!
Why do you think he,wisely but sadly,bade farewell to Jeremiah Wright?
Because ONE MAN DOES NOT A FAITH MAKE! And Obama saw the selfish egotism shining out of Wrights media-hungry eyes.
Maybe we would be better off with an impartial,purely mathematical ROBOT in the Oval Office who couldn't care less WHOSE FEELINGS(BOO-HOO!)got hurt amongst our SO-CALLED friends.
But then, we would forfeit human compassion,polite debate and humour too.
We have to see outside our OWN personal,individual preferences and REALISE how many political 'balls' this very legal-savvy man,Obama,is OBLIGED to juggle!
That's MORE than Clinton or the Bushes ever did.
They delibarately dropped all juggle balls BUT AMERICA AND ISRAEL!
Many of the 'balls',that ambidexterous Obama is bravely ATTEMPTING to keep in the air,shouldn't be our problem anyway,allowing us(America)to get on with our own DOMESTIC issues,for OUR citizens and for the future of our home-soil.
I don't envy ANY OUTSIDE politician having to "walk the walk" when it comes to ONGOING Israel/Palestine affairs,dear JAMAL!
One side wants Obama to use the right leg,the other side wants him to use the left!
Blimey,it's worse than MORRIS DANCING!!(no offense) lol! But then WE HAVE seen him dance,and he's got damn good rhythm!
Looks like Obama is going to have to find his own balanced,rational,bi-ped pace or resort to 'HOP THE HOP' like the rest of 'em!
Where's the fine and fair balance in that???
Time for some tea then cut the grass! LOL!
Peace,Salaam,Shalom!

I'm really disappointed with Obama! Talking about pandering to an interest group...thank you Jamal for shining the spotlite on this.

It's a pity that AIPAC don't value ANY "PUBLIC AFFAIRS" other than their own.
It's a hypocritical group and is an insult to Judaism.
I have never had much regard for Condi Rice,except for her tenacity,but her words this time are brave and rational and she merely outlines what most people who want to see an equal ONE-STATE solution know ALREADY. That BOTH Israelis and Palestinians must EQUALLY show that they are worthy tenants of one of Gods holiest real estates.Neither side are exclusive owners,merely temporary(relatively speaking)tenants and should TREAT Jerusalem with equal respect because not only does it belong,spiritually,to both Palestinians and Israelis but to ALL PEOPLE of the world regardless of faith and race.
God said that,all men are created EQUAL!!!!!
Not some more than others.
Therefore,Rice did well to recognise,publically,just as Carter did and Bishop Tutu,that there are NO EXCLUSIVE or "chosen" tenants to the Holy Land,including Jerusalem. The city should be classed as a protected Holy site for respectful preservation by a Global Oversight Committee and with free,open AND HUMBLE access to all.
Israel would NOT survive anyway without the backing of America,it's ALREADY massively in debt and resource deficit not to mention enormous immigration problems that the USA keeps baling it OUT OF.It is in Israels(and the USA)interest to view the wider picture of their future and validity.
Barack Obama understands the pain-in-ar** problem of having to keep Jewish/Zionist lobbyists 'happy'.That's no easy task for anyone.Especially for one who DEPLORES most lobbyist groups ANYWAY!
Rice can make a more honest and bilateral comment because,like Carter and Tutu,she has less moral obligation to Israel and can say 'it' as she sees it,at a point when she is about to wash her hands of the Bush Debacle and come up smelling fresher.
At the end of the day,only two entities can do the right thing.
Israelis and Palestinians must honour their mutual God AND HIS WORD and remember they ARE EQUAL tenants of one of the planets Holiest cities,and TREAT IT AS SUCH,by being good peaceful tenants living in mutual respect and peace.
If the Zionist lobbyists block that road they merely show further that they are an insult to the ancient faith of Judaism overall,in the same vein as ANY minority fundamentalist group within ANY of the great monotheistic religions.
Both sides have NO EXCLUSIVE residential rights to Jerusalem,and should,equally, treat it with respect and humility.
God,alone,is the landowner, the rest of us MERELY TEMPORARY TENANTS,as long as we adhere to Gods 'contract'.
If not,perhaps God will find a way to EVICT ALL NAUGHTY and disrespectful tenants LOL!
And of course Barack would draw a standing ovation at AIPAC,lol,with those comments.But,he expressed a hope that Jerusalem should "stay an undivided Israeli city" NOT an undivided JEWISH CITY right? BIG DIFFERENCE and also leaving room for mutually peaceful,intelligent and humane compromises FROM BOTH SIDES!
Outside of AIPAC,who have their OWN selfish political goals and aims,Condi would have received more applause had she have been infront of the more moderate,grassroots followers of the faith of Judaism,who have very little time for tunnel-visioned minority groups such as ole' AIPAC.
Jerusalem should have a city motto:
In Gods eyes,all men are created equal.And all residents must LIVE BY that,OR LEAVE!
Peace,Salaam,Shalom!

This past Wednesday, at the Annual Policy Conference of AIPAC- the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, presidential candidate, Barack Obama drew a standing ovation when he pledged his "unshakeable commitment to Israel's security" if he is elected president in November, and declared that Jerusalem should stay an undivided Israeli city.

The day before, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice seemed hopeful to reach an agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis before the end of the year,
"Israelis have waited too long for the security they desire and deserve," she said, "and Palestinians have waited too long, amid daily humiliations, for the dignity of a Palestinian state." But no one cheered and no one stood up.

The fact of the matter is, Rice's statement in front of one of the United States' most influential lobbying groups is more realistic and more in tune with the facts on the ground.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamal-dajani/jerusalem-can-obama-walk_b_105633.html