Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday said Jerusalem will be the capital of Israel.

"I have said that before, and I will say it again," Obama said while answering questions in Sderot, a southern Israeli town that has come under rocket attack from Palestinian militants in Gaza.

"I also have said that it is important that we don't simply slice the city in half, but I've also said that that's a final status issue. That's an issue that has to be dealt with by the parties involved -- the Palestinians and the Israelis.

It's not the United States' job to dictate the form in which that will take, but rather to support the efforts that are being made right now to resolve these very difficult issues."

Obama last month caused concern among some Palestinian leaders when he said Jerusalem should remain "undivided."

The presidential candidate's campaign spent several days clarifying his position.

Earlier this month, Obama told CNN's Fareed Zakaria that he had used "poor phrasing" in the June speech.

"The point we were simply making was, is that we don't want barbed wire running through Jerusalem ... that it is possible for us to create a Jerusalem that is cohesive and coherent," he said.

Obama's Trip

Sen. Barack Obama and two other senators are on a trip to the Middle East and Europe. Their itinerary: Afghanistan
Kuwait
Iraq
Jordan
Israel (with a trip to Ramallah, West Bank)
Germany
France
United Kingdom

Obama on Wednesday said he was "deeply committed" to helping Israelis achieve a lasting peace with Palestinians who are prepared to accept the state of Israel, renounce terrorism and abide by agreements.

Obama said it was in the interest of Israel's security to arrive at a lasting peace with the Palestinians.

"It's the job of the United States, I think, to make sure that that peace is centered and promotes Israel's long-term security," he said.
Obama said that a nuclear-Iran would be a threat to Israel and the United States.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said if he's elected he wants to act quickly to mobilize the international community to "offer a series of big sticks and big carrots to the Iranian regime to stand down on nuclear weapons."

"But what I have also said though is that I will take no options off the table in dealing with dealing with this potential Iranian threat," he said.
Obama said he would be willing to meet with any leader if he thought it would promote the national security interests of the United States, but he said there is a difference between "meeting without preconditions and meeting without preparations."

Obama focused on Iran when he met earlier Wednesday with Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party, said the "main focal point" of conversation for the two men was "the need to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons."

"The senator and I agree that the primacy of preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power is clear," he said. "This should guide our mutual policies."

Before giving his remarks in Sderot, Obama toured a home that was damaged in one of the rocket attacks.

He called the terror in Sderot "intolerable" and praised the residents for their courage and resilience.

"I'm here to say that -- as an American and as a friend of Israel -- that we stand with the people of Sderot and with all the people of Israel," Obama said.

"Israelis should not have to live endangered in their homes and schools. I'm hopeful that the recent understanding to end the attacks will provide some relief, but America must always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself against those who threaten its people," he said.

"We must support Palestinian leaders who share this vision," Obama said, calling attention to President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayad, both of whom he met with earlier Wednesday.
Obama was joined in Sderot by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, also toured Sderot when he visited the region in March.

Obama earlier spoke during a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem. It was one of many stops the senator from Illinois made during the day on an international tour aimed to boost his foreign policy credentials.

Peres said he had "high regard" for Obama and described his belief that "the future belongs to the young."

Obama began his second day in the Middle East on Wednesday by meeting Israeli leaders and laying a wreath at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. Watch Obama pay respects »
Obama signed the guest book at Yad Vashem, writing, "At a time of great peril and promise, war and strife, we are blessed to have such a powerful reminder of man's potential for great evil, but also our capacity to rise from tragedy and remake our world."

Obama -- wearing a blue and white tie, the colors of the Israeli flag -- also met with Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

In the afternoon, Obama met with Palestinian leaders, including Abbas, in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Obama "said to the president that if he is elected, he will be a constructive partner in peace between Palestinians and Israelis," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told reporters.

"He will not waste a minute because, to him, as he said, time is of the essence, and it's a vital American interest to reach an agreement between Palestinians and Israelis based on a

two-state solution.

"But he emphasized that the decisions required for peace are required from Palestinians and Israelis," Erakat added.
Obama will return to Jerusalem on Wednesday evening to meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

The stop in Israel and the Palestinian territories is part of a trip that has taken Obama to Jordan, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq.
He has said he is making the trip as a senator from Illinois and not a presidential candidate.

"The United States of America has one president. That president is George W. Bush," Rice said. "Sen. Obama will not be engaged in any way shape or form in negotiations, or policy making or the like."