Nice article saying Kerry and Obama "get it" on the Palestinian issue

[karynnj]

The article is great - some comments skeptical - so I added the obvious links in a comment.

Two women I've talked to in Gaza have offered me similar reports on both Senator John Kerry, who visited Gaza in February, and President Obama, who is about to come out to Cairo: that these powerful men both "get" the Palestinian issue--i.e., understand that dealing with Palestinian oppression is key to our foreign policy.
<snip>

As for John Kerry, the other day I met Taghreed El-Khodary, the correspondent for the New York Times in Gaza who everybody who is anybody makes it a point to talk to when they come to Gaza City. (In a few days I will give a full report on this remarkable woman.) She told me that she had met Kerry on his visit and explained to him that Palestinians don't want humanitarian assistance, they want a political solution to their disenfranchisement.

"I think Kerry understood," she said. "When he started talking only about the humanitarian aspect, I said, 'To me it is work avoidance... The real issue is political. I think the administration must push toward reconciliation because you cannot endorse a peace process if you are strengthening division among the Palestinians. You have to include everyone even if they do not look like you... It is a political issue."

She said that Kerry nodded and said, "That's why I'm here. To be able to explain that to the Congress."



http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/05/obama-promised-to-do-his-best-not-to-pander-to-aipac.html

[wisteria]

1. I saw that too, but it seems to me that the writer thought Kerry could be counted on more than Obama

,Obama needing to be more political than Kerry. However, based on years of experience, I would say Kerry would have more understanding of the issue and had thought it through a little more.