| U.S. Democratic presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., fourth from left, arrives in the town of Sderot, southern Israel, with Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, third from left, and Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak, fifth from left, Wednesday, July 23, 2008. Obama pledged Wednesday that as president he would preserve the close ties between the United States and Israel, and that the Jewish state's security would be a top priority in his administration. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov) |