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US President Barack Obama faced a host of personnel problems this week, as two top appointees bowed out because of unpaid income taxes and another pick distressed some in the Jewish community. Slideshow: Pictures of the week Samantha Power, a Harvard University genocide expert and former Obama campaign adviser, has been appointed to the the National Security Council's multilateral institutions office. She has been criticized in the past for making statements critical of Israel and its treatment of the Palestinians. In one clip making the rounds courtesy of YouTube, Power accuses Israel of "major human rights abuses," though she distinguishes...

Former president Jimmy Carter has urged President Obama to “trust Hamas if he wants to make progress in settling the Palestinian issue.” “Hamas has suffered a bad press in this country,” Carter alleged. “All we hear about is how Hamas is killing Jews in Israel. Has anyone stopped to consider whether they have good reasons for this?” “They are not the indiscriminate murderers that Israeli politicians would have you believe,” Carter insisted. “They have had many opportunities to take me hostage or kill me, but they never did. I think this demonstrates a capacity for constraint that few give them...

Obama has begun discreet talks with Iran, Syria by Sylvie Lanteaume – Sat Jan 31, 9:54 pm ET Featured Topics: Barack Obama Presidential Transition … WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama has already used experts within the last few months to hold high-level but discreet talks with both Iran and Syria, organizers of the meetings told AFP. ...

US President Barack Obama's call to suspend trials of "war on terror" suspects at Guantanamo raised hopes worldwide that the prison could be closed soon, but not all welcomed the idea of repatriating ex-inmates. EU Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot hailed Obama's request to prosecutors as a step toward shutting the facility, which has been plagued by accusations of torture and become a symbol of US excesses. "I am delighted that one of the first acts of President Obama has been to turn the page on this sad episode of Guantanamo prison," Barrot said in a statement. He also stressed that...

Violence in Gaza prompted local activists Tuesday to don white masks and march on the Madison offices of U.S. legislators to deliver letters demanding an end to U.S. support of Israel. "We're very concerned about U.S. policies all over the world," organizer Joy First told a staffer at the office of U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin -- where another local activist, Allen Ruff, condemned Baldwin's failure to speak out against U.S. military aggression as "contemptible and out of character." Ruff left behind a pair of shoes, a symbol of contempt in the Arab world and reminiscent of the incident last month...

Taken directly from the UK Guardian's Gaza Diary web page earlier today.-

I know you all agree with me that what Cindy Sheehan is doing in Crawford, Texas is heroic and important. I met Cindy a couple of months ago when she testified at the hearing I called on the Downing Street Minutes. Later that day, she helped me deliver your signatures to the White House demanding answers from the President about his pre-war deceptions. I want to share with you what struck me about that day, and is even more relevant now. I also want to ask you for your help. It is not that hard for an elected official to...