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Center-left candidate Benny Gantz declares victory over Benjamin Netanyahu in the Israeli elections, and is rejecting the prime minister’s call for negotiations over leading the government. Gantz issued a statement Thursday saying, “I am interested in and intend to form a broad and liberal unity government under my leadership.” He also said, “the process of building a government has begun, and we will not be dictated to.” This comes after Netanyahu offered to build a broad coalition government with Gantz amid a tight election. Netanyahu proposed a rotating premiership among the two leaders. “The people chose unity, the people want...

Obama more popular than U.S. among Arabs: survey Sun May 10, 2009 7:02pm EDT By Paul Eckert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's popularity in leading Arab countries far outstrips that of the United States, suggesting he could be able to boost goodwill in the region toward his country, a survey showed on Sunday. Obama, set to give a major speech to the Muslim world in Egypt next month, "currently enjoys widespread optimism among citizens of that region that he will have a positive effect on their own country, the Middle East, the United States and indeed the world," the...

Palestinian Authority newspaper reported on Sunday that Arab residents of Gaza are randomly calling Americans at home in hopes of persuading them to vote for Democratic candidate Senator Barack Obama in next month's US presidential election. The article in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, first noted and translated by Palestinian Media Watch, quotes a young man from the Hamas-controlled Gaza region as saying, "We dial random numbers and try to call people [in the United States] without knowing their identity or their affiliation...." He reportedly uses "Internet sites that allow making free calls... in order to use them for the campaign supporting Obama."...

A new nationwide poll shows that among likely Arab-American voters in November's U.S. presidential election, Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama holds a 21-point lead over Republican candidate Sen. John McCain. Mohamed Elshinnawi has more on what pollsters are calling an historic shift among Arab-Americans toward the Democratic Party. James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, announces results of a new poll or Arab-American voters showing Barack Obama holds a 21-point lead over John McCain James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, announces results of a new poll or Arab-American voters showing Barack Obama holds a 21-point lead over...

Barack Obama Holds Lead Among Arab American Vote Historic Shift Toward Democratic Party Continues WASHINGTON - September 18, 2008 - Democratic candidate Barack Obama holds a substantial 21 point lead over Republican John McCain among Arab American voters. This was one of the findings of a poll of Arab American voters conducted by Zogby International for the Arab American Institute.

Doha: Former US President Bill Clinton remains popular with Arabs despite not being in power any more. An Egyptian woman lawyer, who had a chance meeting with Clinton at the Middle East Economic Summit here on Monday, says a photograph taken with her and the former US president is the biggest treasure of her life

Arabs, Muslims being wooed by NJ governor candidates By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press Writer March 25, 2005, 2:40 PM EST NEWARK, N.J. -- From a living room festooned with dozens of elephants in all shapes and sizes, Sherine El-Abd is busily raising money for gubernatorial candidate Bret Schundler, whose call for lower property taxes she loves. It's only March, but the Edison woman, an Egyptian immigrant and Republican organizer, is already planning candidate forums for October. In Denville, Aref Assaf is supporting U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine, warming to his willingness to include more Arabs and Muslims in his administration and...

While the results of this year's American election may have liberal Democrats and much of the extended international community shaking their heads in disbelief, a surprising number of Arabs seem to have not only expected President George W. Bush's return to power but also supported it. Since I began teaching in Damascus six months ago, I have been continually surprised to find support and even admiration for Bush in that city, mixed in with the usual polemics about American imperialism. The presumed wildfire of anti-American and anti-Bush sentiment that has consumed much of Europe and Asia has apparently skipped over...

WASHINGTON, 8 November 2004 — Rep. Jim Moran, 59, from Virginia’s 8th district, is one of the few Congressmen who voted against the war in Iraq and criticized Jewish community leaders. It was no surprise that he had a tough time being re-elected. Yusif Farsakh, a Palestinian-American who moved to the US from Beir Zeit in 1953, works with the “Arab-American Democrats of Virginia,” a group he said was instrumental in helping Moran win the primary elections against his opponent, lobbyist and political newcomer Andrew Rosenberg. Rosenberg obtained funding from AIPAC, a strong Jewish lobby in Washington, and ran a...

With every passing day – and there are precious few left – another enormous constituency turns against President George W. Bush in his race against John Kerry. First, the Hollywood celebrities mobilized against Bush. Then came the recording industry, with mega-stars like Bruce Springsteen offering free concerts in order to defeat Bush. Next it was the turn of the academic and scientific communities to pummel the president, with 54 Nobel Prize winners announcing they would tour the universities denouncing Bush. Of course, the president had already been abandoned by Europe, with their million-man rallies against him where he was burned...

Arab and Jewish Votes By WILLIAM SAFIRE Published: October 25, 2004 Washington — You have to give credit to Arab-Americans, and to the overlapping category of American Muslims, for knowing what side they are on in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - and for voting for those they believe would address their concerns. Four years ago, they voted almost two to one for George W. Bush, thinking he would act like his father. Today, according to the Zogby poll, American Muslim voters are going 10 to 1 in the opposite political direction - for John Kerry over Bush. Not only do they...

Allow me to post this again for those who attacked me without reading the whole thing. For those who have doubted my sincerity , let me say this, I am a Bush supporter to the core not only on policy but his life experience touches me personally. As to comments by some of you about my friend Hillary mentioned below, she is not, repeat, not Hillary Rodham! She is definitely a childhood friend and currently resides in Seattle, Washington. The stakes in this election couldn’t be higher and for Bush to finish what he has to do in the next...

WASHINGTON, 20 October 2004 — Because I have been repeatedly asked the question, “For whom will you vote and why?” Let me use this opportunity to respond. This November, I will vote for John Kerry for president of the United States. I will do so, confident that it is the right thing to do for my country and my community. Now this doesn’t mean that I agree with all of John Kerry’s positions. I’m a Democrat, but I’ve always challenged my party and its leadership when it was important to do so. Over the past two decades I’ve helped to...

In the tight race for battleground state Michigan's 17 electoral votes, President Bush's fortunes may rest in the hands of Iraqis. These Iraqis, however, are not in Baghdad. They're 150,000 politically active immigrants clustered in suburbs of Detroit. Iraqi-Americans make up almost a tenth of the 1.2 million residents in Oakland County, north of the city, where political analysts say Bush faces his only chance at winning the state. The discontent of the Iraqis, a Christian sect known as Chaldeans, is a huge worry for the Bush campaign. "It is incredibly ironic," said David Bonior, the ex-Democratic House majority whip...

The Arab American Political Action Committee nearly unanimously endorsed its candidate for president on Tuesday.

The Arab-American Political Action Committee in Dearborn announced their endorsement for the Sen. John Kerry-Sen. John Edwards ticket in the 2004 presidential election Tuesday night. "We believe Senator Kerry will make America stronger, safer and more respected throughout the world," said AAPAC president Abed Hammoud in a written statement. "AAPAC endorsed George W. Bush four years ago. Members of our community have strongly expressed their dissatisfaction with his policies. With respect to civil rights and foreign policy, we hope Senator Kerry will change the course the Bush administration has put America on." "We played a role in electing George Bush...

(CNSNews.com) - The Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) announced it is backing the Kerry/Edwards ticket in the 2004 presidential election, following a two-hour discussion of the general membership in Dearborn, Mich., Tuesday night. "We believe Senator Kerry will make America stronger, safer and more respected throughout the world," said AAPAC President Abed Hammoud in a press release. AAPAC endorsed George W. Bush four years ago, but since then, members have expressed dissatisfaction with Bush's policies. "With respect to civil rights and foreign policy, we hope Senator Kerry will change the course the Bush administration has put America on," Hammoud...

ORLANDO, Fla. - Ever since President Bush (news - web sites) narrowly won Florida four years ago, Democrats have meticulously courted key voting blocs that strategists believe could help reverse the party's fortunes in 2004 - showering attention on seniors, African Americans, Jews, and Cuban and Haitian Americans. On Sunday night, a surprising new ethnic thread wove itself into Florida's ever-complicated political fabric: the frustrated Arab American. Business owners, physicians, lawyers and others - furious over the Bush administration's post-Sept. 11 policies that many believe unfairly target Muslims and Arab Americans in the government's quest to root out terrorists -...

Kerry flip on West Bank wall may cost votes, some say By S.V. Date Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau Friday, September 24, 2004 Efforts to secure part of the Democratic Party's Florida base may cost Sen. John Kerry support from a smaller, but possibly vital, constituency: Arab-Americans. In a recent interview with The Palm Beach Post, Kerry reiterated his support for the Jewish state, including its right to built a security barrier through the occupied West Bank territory and its ability to buy advanced weapons, such as "bunker-busting" bombs. Israel used such a bomb two years ago to assassinate a...

WASHINGTON, 22 September 2004 — Arab-Americans are John Kerry’s “canaries in the coal mine.” In days gone by, coal miners brought canaries into the mines in which they were working. Because they feared releasing pockets of odorless but deadly natural gas, the canaries served as an alarm. As long as the canaries were singing, the miners knew that all was well. When the canaries went silent, the miners knew there was danger and would take action. From that time on, the expression, “canaries in the coal mine” has been used as metaphor for any warning sign that portends danger. And...