Israel's Busy VIP Week: Brown, Corzine and Obama

Analysis] Israel and the Palestinian areas continue to top the list of hot summer destinations for politicians and diplomats. This week alone began with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's unannounced fly-in, an event one Israeli newspaper called a "warm-up act" for U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama. While the quip has merit in regard to the travelers' respective level of notoriety, the arrival of New Jersey Governor John Corzine two days before Obama is the warm-up act in the true sense of the expression. Corzine is attempting to introduce the Illinois senator as a "friend of Israel" before the candidate himself arrives. Obama has been beset by a vicious Internet slander campaign aimed at Jewish voters and supporters of Israel. The Israel stop-over on his current foreign tour is seen as an opportunity to... [read full story]