By Xinhua,
Jerusalem : U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama arrived at Jerusalem late Tuesday for a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territory.
During the fifth leg of his week-long overseas tour, he is scheduled to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other officials, and visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and the rockets-striken southern city of Sderot.
Unlike his rival in the presidential race John McCain who also visited Israel in March during an overseas tour, Obama is also scheduled to visit the West Bank and meet with Palestinian leaders in Ramallah.
Hours before his arrival, a bulldozer went on a rampage near the hotel where he is supposed to stay, injuring at least 16 people, before the driver was shot dead. Speaking in Jordan, Obama strongly condemned the attack, and said he “will always support Israel in confronting terrorism and pursuing lasting peace and security.”
The U.S. presidential candidate, who has already visited Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq and Jordan, is scheduled to head for Europe Thursday morning to continue his tour.