Obama vows to stop Iran from acquiring nukes
Strong support for Israel: Presidential hopeful Obama tells AIPAC conference he will do everything in his power to prevent Iran from obtaining nukes, says Jerusalem must remain Israel's undivided capital
"The danger from Iran is grave, it is real, and my goal will be to eliminate this threat," Obama said in a speech to the AIPAC conference in Washington
Obama added that one of his aims would be to "free ourselves from the tyranny of oil, the petro dollars that pay for weapons that kill American troops and Israeli citizens."
Several hours after making history and winning the Democratic Party's nomination, Obama made sure to stress his commitment to Israel in his AIPAC speech. The presidential hopeful said that the State of Israel must maintain its Jewish character in a future peace deal, and emphasized that "Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of Israel."
Obama addresses audience (Photo: AFP)
Obama expressed unequivocal support for Israel and said that the Jewish State's security was not subject to negotiations. The US will not force Israel to talk with its enemies, he said.
'Obama will be good friend to Israel'
Obama's speech was followed by an address by his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, who received a warm welcome from the audience.
"I know that Senator Obama will be a good friend to Israel," Clinton told the crowd on hand and added that the Jewish State and America were facing a common threat.
I believe that speaking up for a strong American-Israeli relationship is essential to our interests," Clinton said. "Israel's security is critical to our security."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who spoke at the event as well, also turned her attention to Iran and said that Israel was at the front lines of the war against terror and the nuclear threat.
Pelosi added that Israel was not only fighting on behalf of itself, but rather, on behalf of the entire world, including the US.
Reuters contributed to the story
