Pro-Palestinians Gather at Obama’s Hawaii House to Protest

Between media photographers making up pseudo-scandals centered on President-elect Barack Obama ditching them, taking photos of him with his shirt off and detailing the minutiae of his workout routines, news of a more serious sort is being made. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have gathered at Obama’s Hawaii house to protest the recent violence in the Gaza Strip and the incoming administration’s obvious continued support for Israel. Obama has not yet commented on the Israeli air strikes, but his aides note that he has been receiving intelligence briefings and continues to monitor the situation.

Obama, hailed by many as "the next FDR" for his progressive would-be policies and proposed "New New Deal," seems content to focus on domestic issues – of which there are many to address – a point the protestors have been sure to focus on. Said Carolyn Hadfield, one of the Hawaii protestors, "He is talking about how many jobs he is going to create but he is refusing to speak about this." Placards held by Hadfield and a very small group of protestors read "No U.S. support for Israel" and "Gazans need food and medicine, not war."

Yet another protestor, Margaret Brown, noted, "We are very upset with what is going on in Palestine. There is a very great need for change in U.S. foreign policy toward Israel and Palestine. We need to stop giving Israel a blank check." Obama, for his part, failed to acknowledge the protestors, staring straight ahead and sipping from a bottle of water as his motorcade escorted him to play basketball at his old school. Alas, the time for such reactions is quickly drawing to a close for the president-elect, who will face more than just tough domestic issues starting on January, 20, 2009.