Majority in Middle East welcome Obama victory

MIDDLE EAST:THE OVERWHELMING majority of people in the Middle East welcome the victory of Barack Obama in the presidential election although most do not believe he will be able to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict or bring stability to Iraq.

Mr Obama's readiness to engage with regional leaders shunned by the Bush administration, including those of Iran and Syria, is seen as a positive shift in policy.

Two groups who are disappointed with the outcome of the election are some Iraqis and right-wing Israelis. Iraqi businessman Yaqthan Chadirji remarked, "I am for Obama. But I know many middle-class Iraqis want McCain to come. They think he will keep the troops in Iraq" with the aim of providing stability. Israelis on the right regard George W Bush as the most pro-Israel US president ever and believe Republican John McCain would have continued backing Israel in negotiations with the Palestinians, confronting Iran over its nuclear programme, and providing funds for Israel.

Israeli human rights activist Louis Frankenthaler said, "I am very, very happy. I am amazed.Making a difference is unavoidable.

"While I was stopped on a traffic light this morning, some university students asked for the news. When I told them Obama had won, they said he would allow [ Palestinian president Mahmoud] Abbas to divide Jerusalem.

"People with right-wing ideologies are concerned, that's good . . . What Israel needs is for someone to give her a good kick in the butt to make her end the occupation."

Angela Godfrey-Goldstein agrees. "More of the same would have been the final death blow to any possibility of two states or peace." She expressed the hope that Israelis will see that they "have no leaders and no real vision" and be inspired by Obama to make changes.

Jordanian editor George Hawatmeh pointed out that 67 per cent of Jordanians wanted Obama to win. Under Obama, he expects the US will "stop waging war against the people of this region. Bush tried to solve problems with weapons, war and violence . . . The Christian right [ around Bush] has been replicated in the world by Muslim fundamentalists" who threaten the stability of their home countries. Palestinian social activist Dyala Husseini observed that if the US is led by a black president with a Kenyan father its "attitude toward the rest of the world will be different" than the for-us-or-against-us approach adopted by the Bush administration. Beiruti non-governmental agency administrator Muhammad Mashnouk believes change will come on the Arab-Israeli front even though Obama adopted a pro-Israeli approach during the campaign. "This may not be a measure of his future policies. The US may become human again after these years of unilateralism and hegemony."