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The frontrunner for the Democratic U.S. Presidential nomination, Barack Obama, was apparently very impressed with the killing of Palestinian children and a Reuters cameraman yesterday. Obama voiced his support for Israel’s “right to defend itself” and condemned Jimmy Carter’s meeting with Hamas leader, Khaled Mashaal—even as bombs rained down on Gaza’s refugee camps.

Immediately following Wednesday’sskirmish near the Gazan border which resulted in the deaths of three IOF soldiers at the hands of Hamas fighters, Israel retaliated by… bombing the densely populated al-Bureij refugee camp.

I am always struck by the sensitivity of politicians when they choose to praise Israel in the midst of such glaring atrocities.

In reference to the Carter-Mashaal meeting, Obama said:

“We should only sit down with Hamas if they renounce terrorism, recognize Israel’s right to exist, and abide by past agreements.”

(Yawn)

Naturally, such demands never require Israeli to end its own aggression in Palestine, recognize Palestine’s right to exist (it never has), or that Israeli restrain itself from unilaterally violating ceasefires (almost an Israeli hallmark at this point - remember the Palestinian family bombed to smithereens on the beach?).

But I suppose you can’t be too mad at Obama’s obtuse platitudes and indirect support for the brutal occupation of Gaza… After all there is no one in Washington willing to say anything else.

At least in Israel, they tell it how it is:

Addressing an audience on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak explained that the lives of Israeli soldiers are more important than the lives of Gaza’s civilians.

Yep, that sounds about right.

** UPDATE **

The Palestinian Centre For Human Rights has published a press release demanding a full investigation into the incident and condemning what it calls the “systematic targeting of journalists” by the IOF.

Apparently, the Reuters cameraman was filming an Israeli tank immediately before it opened fire and killed him.