Obama's First Day In Israel

"He's always talking about red lines."--United States President Barack Obama jokingly refers to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu after being instructed to follow the red lines marked on the floor at Ben Gurion International Airport. (Ynet)

• Peace Now's surprise for Obama - Peace Now movement prepared a special spectacle for the US President and put it under the flight path of Obama's helicopter to Jerusalem. "We the people want peace!" (SEE PHOTO in Maariv/NRG Hebrew)
• IDF will not evacuate E1 outpost until end of Obama visit - According to the IDF, until the end of the presidential visit by Barack Obama there will be no evacuation of the Palestinian settlement set up in E1. (Ynet)
• Settler neighborhood inaugurated in the name of Jonathan Pollard - During celebratory ceremonies in honor of the US President, the settlement of Karmei Tzur in Gush Etzion held a ceremony declaring the name of the new caravan neighborhood, 'Tzur Yehonatan' in honor of Israeli spy, Jonathan Pollard. (NRG Hebrew)
• Polite refusal - In his meeting with US President Obama, President Peres raised the issue of releasing spy Jonathan Pollard from jail and gave him a petition with 200,000 Israeli signatures. The US President listened, expressed sympathy, but ruled: it won't happen soon. (Yedioth, p. 16)
• Obama's plant placed in quarantine - Agriculture Ministry says seedling Obama brought with him to plant in Peres' courtyard must be checked for possible pests; likely to be returned to President's Residence. (Ynet)
• Ehud Barak: "Israel should launch a daring peace initiative vis-à-vis the Palestinians" - One day after leaving office and on the day that Obama arrives in Israel, the former defense minister publishes an Op-Ed in Wall Street Journal saying, "The status quo leads to a binational state." (Haaretz Hebrew and Wall Street Journal Op-Ed.)
• Facing the (Passover) music at Yad Vashem - Obama to receive musical notes to original Passover melody composed by former chief cantor of Amsterdam, who was killed in Holocaust. (Haaretz+)

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