Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (R) shakes hands with U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) during their meeting at the Palestinian Authority headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah July 23, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    JERUSALEM, July 24 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Thursday concluded his visit to Israel and the Palestinian territory, which is packed with meetings, tours and assurances of commitment to Israel's security.

    During his 30-hour stay, the White House hopeful also projected himself as an active and constructive partner in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and as a steadfast opponent to a nuclear Iran.

    From Ben Gurion international airport, to the holy city, and to the rockets-stricken southern town of Sderot, the Illinois senator reiterated that he is a true friend of Israel and committed to Israel's security.

    "I'm here on this trip to reaffirm the special relationship between Israel and the United States and my abiding commitment to Israel's security and my hope that I can serve as an effective partner, whether as a U.S. senator or as president," he told Israeli President Shimon Peres on Wednesday.

    Speaking beside piles of empty rocket casings in Sderot near the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, Obama told reporters that he brought to the battered town "an unshakable commitment to Israel's security" and that the United States "will always stand by the people of Israel."

    "If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would do everything in my power to stop that, and would expect Israelis to do the same thing," he said, stressing that Israel has every right to defend itself against attacks on its civilians and that he would not pressure Israel to accept any kinds of concession that would endanger its security.

    The presidential contender also conveyed his stalwart support for Israel when meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday evening, following separate talks with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu and a tour to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.

    Wrapping up his tight-scheduled visit, Obama paid a predawn visit to the Western Wall on Thursday, one of the holiest places for the Jews, where he reaffirmed that America will stand by the Jewish people.

    ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE

    Obama also made a gesture to the Palestinians, pledging active and constructive involvement in the protracted Middle East peace process.

    In a brief visit to the West Bank, Obama assured Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he would be "a constructive partner in the peace process" and "would not waste a minute if elected," according to senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.

    Back in Israel, the senator also said in Sderot that if elected, he would not wait for a few years or until his second term before he takes measures to secure a peace deal between the two neighbors.

    Meanwhile, Obama emphasized that what Israelis and Palestinians need is a true and lasting peace instead of a piece of paper, and that it is in Israel's interests to establish "a viable, peaceful Palestine."

    As of the American role, he told reporters in Sderot that it is not to dictate what the peace deal will be, but to set up a process for the peace to occur.

    The first-term senator, who irritate the Palestinians in early June by claiming that Jerusalem should be the "undivided" capital of Israel, also tried to clarify his position on this issue, saying that Jerusalem should be Israel's capital, while it is for the parties involved to resolve the difficult issue through negotiations.

    Israel captured east Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed it, while the Palestinians demand that the sector of the holy city be the capital of their state.

    "STICKS AND CARROTS" TO PREVENT A NUKE IRAN

    Turning to another front that manifests the U.S.-Israeli alliance, Obama said he would "take no options off the table" to prevent a nuclear Iran.

    "A nuclear Iran would be a game-changing situation, not just in the Middle East, but around the world," said Obama. "A nuclear Iran would pose a grave threat, and the world must prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon."

    Meanwhile, asked about his previously stated notion of having talks with Iranian leaders, Obama said he still holds that if it would promote the national security interests of the United States, he would be willing to meet with any leader.

    "We should exhaust every possible avenue" on Iran, dealing with the issue with "carrots and sticks," said the candidate, adding that if Iran rejects the offers, then "we will be in a stronger position" to call on the international community to respond collectively against the Islamic republic.

    Israel, the United States and some other countries accuse Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons, but Iran denies the charge, insisting that its nuclear program is only for civil purposes.

    The U.S. presidential hopeful, who arrived here late Tuesday, left Thursday morning to visit Germany, France and Britain during the remaining part of his week-long overseas tour, which has taken him to Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq and Jordan.