The Los Angeles Times reports that, a couple of years ago, Senator Barack Obama met with Palestinian leaders in America; although he did not speak about Israel in Antisemitic or anti-Israel tones himself, the Palestinians most certainly did and, because he did not object to their anti-Israel words, they believed and still believe that he’s a friend of Palestine.

 It was a celebration of Palestinian culture — a night of music, dancing and a dash of politics. Local Arab Americans were bidding farewell to Rashid Khalidi, an internationally known scholar, critic of Israel and advocate for Palestinian rights, who was leaving town for a job in New York.

A special tribute came from Khalidi’s friend and frequent dinner companion, the young state Sen. Barack Obama. Speaking to the crowd, Obama reminisced about meals prepared by Khalidi’s wife, Mona, and conversations that had challenged his thinking.

Obama said that he would meet with Kahlidi frequently, but did not follow through on his promise in the last couple of years, especially not since he decided to run for president. But, ‘the warm embrace Obama gave to Khalidi, and words like those at the professor’s going-away party, have left some Palestinian American leaders believing that Obama is more receptive to their viewpoint than he is willing to say.’

Their belief is not drawn from Obama’s speeches or campaign literature, but from comments that some say Obama made in private and from his association with the Palestinian American community in his hometown of Chicago, including his presence at events where anger at Israeli and U.S. Middle East policy was freely expressed.

At Khalidi’s 2003 farewell party, for example, a young Palestinian American recited a poem accusing the Israeli government of terrorism in its treatment of Palestinians and sharply criticizing U.S. support of Israel. If Palestinians cannot secure their own land, she said, “then you will never see a day of peace.”

One speaker likened “Zionist settlers on the West Bank” to Osama bin Laden, saying both had been “blinded by ideology.”

Obama adopted a different tone in his comments and called for finding common ground. But his presence at such events, as he worked to build a political base in Chicago, has led some Palestinian leaders to believe that he might deal differently with the Middle East than either of his opponents for the White House.

Hussein Ibish, a senior fellow for the American Task Force on Palestine, for instance, told the LAT: “I am confident that Barack Obama is more sympathetic to the position of ending the occupation than either of the other candidates.” Furthermore, according to Ibish, Obama sees a “moral imperative” ‘in resolving the conflict and is most likely to apply pressure to both sides to make concessions.’

Adding: “That’s my personal opinion and I think it for a very large number of circumstantial reasons, and what he’s said.”

As can be expected from Obama aides and supporters, the ones asked about these meetings with Palestinian leaders said that they consider this to be a sign of Obama’s attitude towards politics, and of his ability to communicate with both sides in a conflict. The only problem with that, however, is that he seems to be more busy listening to the anti-American and anti-Israeli sides, and less time listening to the other sides. Not only that, seldom does he give strong supporters of Israel the impression that he is one of them, this while he has most definitely convinced Palestinians that he’s their friend.

This even though the article at the LAT argues that Obama has given both sides the impression that he agrees with them; my interaction with people who are quite pro-Israel has given me the impression that many are not confident about his approach to the conflict in the Middle East. But still; since he decided to run for president, he has most certainly tried to suck up to Jewish voters and he has changed his rhetoric a little bit. All in an effort, of course, to satisfy Jewish and pro-Israel voters. For example:

Last year, for example, Obama was quoted saying that “nobody’s suffering more than the Palestinian people.” The candidate later said the remark had been taken out of context, and that he meant that the Palestinians were suffering “from the failure of the Palestinian leadership [in Gaza] to recognize Israel” and to renounce violence.

Jewish leaders were satisfied with Obama’s explanation, but some Palestinian leaders, including Ibish, took the original quotation as a sign of the candidate’s empathy for their plight.

That is typical for Obama. Giving both sides the impression that he mostly agrees with their view. He does this, obviously, on purpose. The problem with such an approach is, however, that as president he will have to make decisions, not just leave impressions. And if we look at his past, at who he associates with, and so on, I can’t help but get the impression that those who are pro-Israel are not going to like his decisions as president.

More:

Ali Abunimah, a Palestinian rights activist in Chicago who helps run Electronic Intifada, said that he met Obama several times at Palestinian and Arab American community events. At one, a 2000 fundraiser at a private home, Obama called for the U.S. to take an “even-handed” approach toward Israel, Abunimah wrote in an article on the website last year. He did not cite Obama’s specific criticisms.

Abunimah, in a Times interview and on his website, said Obama seemed sympathetic to the Palestinian cause but more circumspect as he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2004. At a dinner gathering that year, Abunimah said, Obama greeted him warmly and said privately that he needed to speak cautiously about the Middle East.

Abunimah quoted Obama as saying that he was sorry he wasn’t talking more about the Palestinian cause, but that his primary campaign had constrained what he could say.

Obama, through his aide Axelrod, denied he ever said those words, and Abunimah’s account could not be independently verified.

This should certainly worry those who are pro-Israel and who are thinking about supporting Obama for president. There simply are too many leads, too many indications that Obama isn’t exactly a friend of Israel. We should also, in this regard, think about what his favorite pastor, his spiritual mentor, has said in the past about Israel and Jews. His Church is not exactly free from Antisemitism. Combine that with the article at the LAT, and with other articles that have appeared about Obama and Palestine / Israel in recent months, and it becomes quite reasonable to believe that Obama has spoken out in favor of Israel the last couple of years because he knows that if he says what he probably thinks, he won’t win national elections.

In short:

“In the context of spending 20 years in a church where now it is clear the anti-Israel rhetoric was there, was repeated, . . . that’s what makes his presence at an Arab American event with a Said a greater concern,” said Abraham H. Foxman, national director for the Anti-Defamation League.

More here, and here.