Washington: Democratic hopeful Barack Obama said that as president he would do his utmost to help Israel defend itself from any regional threat, as he criticised ex-president Jimmy Carter for seeking to meet with Hamas.

"As president, I will do everything that I can to help (Israel) protect itself ... We will make sure that it can defend itself from any attack, whether it comes from as close as Gaza or as far as Tehran," Obama told a synagogue yesterday in Philadelphia, according to his campaign aides.

He said US-Israeli cooperation, although successful, "can be deepened and strengthened." Obama, who has said he would meet with the US enemies Iran and Cuba if elected president, criticised Carter's expected meeting in Cairo with Hamas, stressing: "Hamas is not a state, Hamas is a terrorist organisation."

The Illinois senator, whose middle name Hussein has raised concern among critics that he harbors Muslim sympathies he is a Christian spoke to 75 representatives of the Jewish community in Pennsylvania's biggest city, a week ahead of the state's key primary in the race for the White House. Obama told to his audience he was a friend both of the Jewish community and of Israel, his campaign said.

Asked about the future of Jerusalem, which Israel took over in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, Obama said it was up to the parties involved to decide, but stressed that returning the city to its pre-1967 partitioned state "is not an acceptable option." Obama said that because of his background, he was "uniquely positioned" to help Israel.

Source : PTI