Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of former U.S. president Barack Obama and his relationship to the Jewish community.
Barack Obama
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Fast Forward Report: Obama Will Cancel Israel Visit If No Coalition in Place
President Barack Obama will cancel his planned visit to Israeli next month if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is unable to form a coalition by March 16, Israel’s Channel 10 reported on Thursday. After the Israeli elections on January 22, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was tasked with forming Israel’s new governing coalition. March 16 is the…
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Israel News Tensions Threaten To Complicate Obama’s Middle East Listening Tour
A presidential trip designed as little more than a polite visit aimed at strengthening relations — while avoiding thorny issues — could be forced to face unexpectedly tough and substantive questions as conditions on the ground in Israel and the West Bank change rapidly. Palestinian unrest in the occupied West Bank and an unresolved post-election…
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News No Bibi, No Obama, No Peace Talk as AIPAC Prepares for Low-Key Conference
Next week’s annual AIPAC policy conference in Washington may be as notable for what — and who — is missing as what’s planned. For the first time in at least seven years, neither the U.S. president nor the Israeli prime minister will attend. In addition, no mention of the Palestinians, negative or positive, appears on…
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Israel News Two Books Offer Dueling Peace Roadmaps as Obama Prepares for Trip to Middle East
As President Obama prepares for his first presidential visit to Israel and the West Bank, he can choose from two books, both just out, to read on the plane ride over. Each is produced by veteran presidential advisors on the Middle East. But each offers a starkly different perspective. One book, a product of five…
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Fast Forward Chuck Hagel Wins 57-41 Vote in Senate, Ending Debate Over Israel and Iran
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Chuck Hagel as President Barack Obama’s new secretary of defense, ending an unusually acrimonious confirmation fight. The Senate voted 58-41 to confirm the former Republican senator as the civilian leader of the Pentagon in a largely party line vote. Just four Republicans joined the Democrats and independents in support of…
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Fast Forward Chuck Hagel Set for Approval as GOP Falls Short by 71-27 Vote
The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday to end a delay in the nomination of Chuck Hagel as President Barack Obama’s new secretary of defense, clearing the way for his expected approval as civilian leader at the Pentagon within hours. The Senate voted 71-27 to end debate and move forward, almost two weeks after Republicans launched…
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Fast Forward Obama Plans To ‘Listen’ During Visit to Israel and Palestinian Territories
President Barack Obama will not bring a peace plan to Israel and the Palestinian Territories next month, but rather intends to listen, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday. Obama’s plan to visit has raised speculation of a new U.S. push to revive Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, stalled since 2010 in a dispute over Israeli settlement…
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Opinion Barack Obama Returns to Roots as Community Organizer
Back during the primary battles of 2008, my brother and I had an ongoing disagreement. He wondered how this upstart senator, his eloquence notwithstanding, could ride herd on the doyens of the House and Senate. My standard response was to invoke Obama’s experience as a community organizer. “No,” I’d say, “Obama will not go that…
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