Arab League considers turning to UN over Syria

Syrian supporters of President Bashar Assad wave by national flag over a fountain during a rally in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. Syrian security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters after Friday prayers at several locations around the country, while the army sent reinforcements into a southern area where military defectors recently launched deadly attacks on regime troops. (AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman)

Syrian supporters of President Bashar Assad wave by national flag over a fountain during a rally in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. Syrian security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters after Friday prayers at several locations around the country, while the army sent reinforcements into a southern area where military defectors recently launched deadly attacks on regime troops. (AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman)

Syrian demonstrators raise posters showing Syria's President Bashar Assad as they perform an oath to defend their country at Sabe Bahrat square in downtown Damascus, Syria, on Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, during a rally to support President Bashar Assad. Syrian security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters after Friday prayers at several locations around the country, while the army sent reinforcements into a southern area where military defectors recently launched deadly attacks on regime troops. ( AP Photo/ Bassem Tellawi)

Shadows of Syrians are reflected on a giant poster showing President Bashar Assad, during a supporting rally in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. Syrian security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters after Friday prayers at several locations around the country, while the army sent reinforcements into a southern area where military defectors recently launched deadly attacks on regime troops. (AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman)

Syrians surround a large poster showing Syria's President Bashar Assad, during a rally in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. Syrian security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters after Friday prayers at several locations around the country, while the army sent reinforcements into a southern area where military defectors recently launched deadly attacks on regime troops. (AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman)

In this image from TV released by a group calling itself Ugarit News, made available Thursday Dec. 15, 2011, showing tanks moving along a road in Al-Maliha al-Sharqiya, Daraa Province, Syria, Wednesday Dec. 14, 2011. Amateur video emerged on Thursday from Syria, which purports to show ongoing violence in the restive country. (AP Photo) TV OUT - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HAS NO WAY OF INDEPENDENTLY VERIFYING THE CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS VIDEO IMAGE.

BEIRUT (AP) ? The Arab League has given Syria until Wednesday to allow observers into the country or else it will likely turn to the U.N. Security Council for action to try to end the deadly violence against regime opponents, Qatar's prime minister said Saturday.

Sheik Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabr Al Thani said in Qatar that Arab foreign ministers will hold a "decisive and important" meeting in Cairo on Wednesday to decide on next steps.

He said there is near unanimity among Arab states on taking the issue to the U.N. after Syria demanded changes to the Arab League's proposal for ending the violence.

The Arab plan called for Syria to halt its crackdown and to allow in Arab observers to ensure compliance with the deal. Syria had asked for some amendments regarding the work of the observers.

The 22-member League has also suspended Syria's membership and imposed sanctions, but it has been divided over whether to seek the help of the wider international community beyond the Arab world.

Hamad's remarks after an Arab ministerial committee meeting in Qatar on Saturday indicated that the camp objecting to outside intervention may be getting smaller.

Syria has seen a sharp escalation in armed clashes recently, raising concerns the country of 22 million is headed toward civil war. The U.N. raised its death toll for the Syrian uprising substantially this week, saying more 5,000 people have been killed since the revolt began nine months ago.

Russia began circulating a draft U.N. Security Council resolution Thursday that it said was designed to resolve the conflict in Syria. The draft calls for an end to all violence but does not contain sanctions.

That prompted the Arab League to consider putting forward an initiative of its own for the Security Council to consider, Hamad said at a news conference. He did not provide details.

Hamad said the Arab League wanted to see "that Arab resolutions are adopted rather than those of other nations."

The announcement in Qatar came as an Iraqi delegation arrived in Syria to meet with President Bashar Assad to discuss ways of ending the crisis.

Ali al-Moussawi, an adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said the delegation is seeking to find a peaceful solution "that preserves Syria's unity."

Many Iraqis fear that if civil war breaks out in Syria it could spread to Iraq, its eastern neighbor. Iraqi officials have not given details on the initiative they will discuss with Assad and other officials.

Iraq was one of few countries that abstained from voting in favor of Arab sanctions against Syria.

___

Associated Press writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report from Baghdad.

___

Bassem Mroue can be reached on http://twitter.com/bmroue

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-17-ML-Syria/id-768f1119c47c4fdf8ff86e3289e7571d

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U.N. chief defends NATO from critics of Libya war (Reuters)

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) ? U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday defended NATO against criticism from Russia, China and other countries, which accuse the alliance of overstepping its U.N. mandate to protect civilians in Libya.

It was an unusual move by the cautious head of the United Nations, who will complete his first five-year term at the end of the month and begin his second term in January. Ban has rarely taken public positions that pit him with some permanent members of the 15-nation Security Council against others.

"Security Council resolution 1973, I believe, was strictly enforced within the limit, within the mandate," Ban told reporters in New York. "This military operation done by the NATO forces was strictly within (resolution) 1973."

"I believe this is what we have seen, and there should be no misunderstanding on that," he said.

Resolution 1973, adopted in March 2011, authorized U.N. member states to impose a no-fly zone over Libya and take "all necessary measures" to protect civilians threatened by the government's crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators inspired by "Arab Spring" uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

Russia, China, India, Brazil and South Africa -- the so-called BRICS nations -- have repeatedly accused NATO of using the mandate to protect civilians as a cover to pursue regime change by aiding rebel forces who ousted and eventually killed Libya's long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The United States, Britain, France and other NATO members have defended NATO, which says it adhered strictly to its Security Council mandate during its 8-month military operation, in which Britain and France launched repeated air strikes against Gaddafi's forces.

The United States was initially at the forefront of NATO's Libya operation alongside France and Britain, but later took a lower-profile role focusing on activities such as real-time intelligence gathering and surveillance.

BAN URGES ACTION ON SYRIA

Ban said none of the Arab leaders ousted during the Arab Spring uprisings were removed with outside help.

"These changes of regime were done by the people, not by the intervention of any foreign forces, including the United Nations," Ban said.

In addition to Gaddafi, the long-serving presidents of Tunisia and Egypt were forced out, paving the way for elections that Western nations hope will install democratic governments. Yemen's president was also forced to cede power to his deputy.

Ban said he was pleased that the concept of taking action to protect civilians -- often referred to as the "responsibility to protect" or R2P -- appeared to be gaining momentum.

But he reiterated that some kind of concerted international action was needed on Syria, where the United Nations says more than 5,000 civilians have been killed in a government crackdown on pro-democracy protesters this year.

"This cannot go on," he said. "In the name of humanity, it is time for the international community to act."

Last month, Russia and China vetoed a European-drafted Security Council resolution that would have condemned the Syrian clampdown and threatened President Bashar al-Assad's government with possible sanctions.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111214/wl_nm/us_libya_nato_un

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Myanmar seeks final peace pacts with ethnic rebels (AP)

YANGON, Myanmar ? Myanmar is negotiating peace with major ethnic rebel groups and is determined to achieve a permanent peace with them in three to four years, the government's top negotiator said Friday.

Peace talks based on mutual respect are being held with the Shan, Mon, Karen, Kayah and Kachin groups, with the government's only condition being that the groups not demand to secede, said Aung Thaung, who heads the government's Peace Committee.

He told reporters that President Thein Sein ordered an end to fighting with Kachin rebels in the north Dec. 10 but skirmishes continued because communicating with troops in remote areas was difficult.

Myanmar for decades has been at odds with the ethnic groups who seek greater autonomy, but a military junta that took power in 1988 signed cease-fire agreements with many. Some of those pacts were strained as the central government sought to consolidate power, and combat resumed.

However, the new military-backed but elected government has embarked on reforms to try to end its international isolation. Western governments had imposed political and economic sanctions on Myanmar because of repression under the junta.

Ending war with ethnic rebels is one of the condition set by the West for improved relations, a point emphasized by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton during her visit to Myanmar earlier this month.

A prominent Kachin mediator said government troops are continuing to attack Kachin villages and called for the recent cease-fire to be enforced.

The Kachin have been fighting the government since June, when the army tried to break up some of their militia strongholds.

"If the president's order is not immediately implemented and fighting not stopped, it could lead to distrust and further misunderstanding," Kachin mediator Rev. Saboi Jum told The Associated Press.

He said government attacks had continued at least as late as Wednesday.

"It seems that the president's order to stop fighting has not reached to the lower levels," he said.

Aung Thaung, a top member of the ruling pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party, vowed the government will try its best to achieve peace.

"It could take some three to four years to achieve peace with ethnic groups but we are determined to achieve permanent peace during our term of office," he told local reporters.

Aung Thaung said "there is no peace in the country for more than six decades. Myanmar is the only country in the world where ethnic conflict has continued for six decades and the world looked down upon us. Thus we have vowed to try our best to achieve peace with armed ethnic groups."

He led a government delegation that met on Nov. 29 for peace talks with the Kachin Independence Organization in Ruili in China's Yunnan province.

A few days later, the Shan State Army-South rebel group reached a cease-fire agreement at the provincial level with the government. The group is one of the biggest not to previously sign a cease-fire with the government.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_re_as/as_myanmar_ethnic_rebels

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George Clooney Reveals How He Earned His Dog's Love

George Clooney knows how to win over a lady's heart, and apparently he's also a master at how to earn a dog's love as well.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/george-clooney-reveals-strange-way-he-earned-his-dogs-love/1-a-411194?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Ageorge-clooney-reveals-strange-way-he-earned-his-dogs-love-411194

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In-utero procedure for birth defect of the diaphragm significantly improves infant survival

Public release date: 14-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Amy Molnar
healthnews@wiley.com
201-748-8844
Wiley-Blackwell

A new study published in the journal Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology reveals that fetal tracheal occlusion (FETO) improves infant survival rate in severe cases of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).

CDH is a birth defect where there exists a severe malformation (hole) of the diaphragm and is a major cause of death in infants due to pulmonary hypoplasia, an incomplete development of the lungs.

Researchers led by Rodrigo Ruano, MD, PhD, of the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, conducted a randomized trial between May 2008 and July 2010 to compare the safety and efficacy of FETO for the treatment of severe isolated CDH.

Twenty patients were assigned randomly to undergo FETO and 21 patients were assigned to no prenatal intervention (control).

FETO was performed between 26 and 30 weeks' gestation following a well-established protocol under maternal epidural anesthesia.

Delivery occurred at 35.6+2.4 weeks in the FETO group and at 37.4+1.9 weeks in the control group.

In an intention-to-treat analysis, results found that 10 of the 20 (50.0%) infants in the FETO group and one infant out of 21 (4.8%) in the control group survived. The findings demonstrate that FETO improves the chance of surviving after birth from less than 5% without this treatment to about 50% after this treatment.

The FETO procedure appears to improve survival by enhancing pulmonary growth as a consequence of fetal tracheal occlusion.

"The present study allows the establishment of this treatment as standard care for severe forms of congenital diaphragmatic hernia," Ruano concludes.

###

Full citation: Ruano et al. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Fetal Endoscopic Tracheal Occlusion Versus Postnatal Management of Severe Isolated Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology; 2011. DOI: 10.1002/uog.10142

About the Author: Rodrigo Ruano, MD, PhD, is affiliated with the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo.

About the Journal

Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology is the Official Journal of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG), Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology (UOG) is an international, peer-reviewed journal. Published monthly, the journal includes original papers, case reports, reviews, Editorial and Opinion articles, and a letters column. UOG is covered by all the primary indexes including Index Medicus and Current Contents, and is read by Obstetricians, Gynecologists, Radiologists, Pediatricians, Sonographers, Midwives and Radiographers. For more information, please visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1469-0705.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 14-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Amy Molnar
healthnews@wiley.com
201-748-8844
Wiley-Blackwell

A new study published in the journal Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology reveals that fetal tracheal occlusion (FETO) improves infant survival rate in severe cases of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).

CDH is a birth defect where there exists a severe malformation (hole) of the diaphragm and is a major cause of death in infants due to pulmonary hypoplasia, an incomplete development of the lungs.

Researchers led by Rodrigo Ruano, MD, PhD, of the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, conducted a randomized trial between May 2008 and July 2010 to compare the safety and efficacy of FETO for the treatment of severe isolated CDH.

Twenty patients were assigned randomly to undergo FETO and 21 patients were assigned to no prenatal intervention (control).

FETO was performed between 26 and 30 weeks' gestation following a well-established protocol under maternal epidural anesthesia.

Delivery occurred at 35.6+2.4 weeks in the FETO group and at 37.4+1.9 weeks in the control group.

In an intention-to-treat analysis, results found that 10 of the 20 (50.0%) infants in the FETO group and one infant out of 21 (4.8%) in the control group survived. The findings demonstrate that FETO improves the chance of surviving after birth from less than 5% without this treatment to about 50% after this treatment.

The FETO procedure appears to improve survival by enhancing pulmonary growth as a consequence of fetal tracheal occlusion.

"The present study allows the establishment of this treatment as standard care for severe forms of congenital diaphragmatic hernia," Ruano concludes.

###

Full citation: Ruano et al. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Fetal Endoscopic Tracheal Occlusion Versus Postnatal Management of Severe Isolated Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology; 2011. DOI: 10.1002/uog.10142

About the Author: Rodrigo Ruano, MD, PhD, is affiliated with the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo.

About the Journal

Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology is the Official Journal of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG), Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology (UOG) is an international, peer-reviewed journal. Published monthly, the journal includes original papers, case reports, reviews, Editorial and Opinion articles, and a letters column. UOG is covered by all the primary indexes including Index Medicus and Current Contents, and is read by Obstetricians, Gynecologists, Radiologists, Pediatricians, Sonographers, Midwives and Radiographers. For more information, please visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1469-0705.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/w-ipf120911.php

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New ADHD gene study points to defects in brain signaling pathways

ScienceDaily (Dec. 4, 2011) ? Pediatric researchers analyzing genetic influences in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have found alterations in specific genes involved in important brain signaling pathways. The study raises the possibility that drugs acting on those pathways might offer a new treatment option for patients with ADHD who have those gene variants -- potentially, half a million U.S. children.

"At least 10 percent of the ADHD patients in our sample have these particular genetic variants," said study leader Hakon Hakonarson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "The genes involved affect neurotransmitter systems in the brain that have been implicated in ADHD, and we now have a genetic explanation for this link that applies to a subset of children with the disorder."

The study appears online December 4 in Nature Genetics.

ADHD is a common but complex neuropsychiatric disorder, estimated to occur in as many as 7 percent of school-age children and in a smaller percentage of adults. There are different subtypes of ADHD, with symptoms such as short attention span, impulsive behavior and excessive activity. Its causes are unknown, but it tends to run in families and is thought to be influenced by many interacting genes. Drug treatment is not always effective, particularly in severe cases.

The study team did whole-genome analyses of 1,000 children with ADHD recruited at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, compared to 4,100 children without ADHD. The researchers searched for copy number variations (CNVs), which are deletions or duplications of DNA sequences. They then evaluated these initial findings in multiple independent cohorts that included nearly 2,500 cases with ADHD and 9,200 control subjects. All the study subjects were children of European ancestry.

Among those cohorts, the research team identified four genes with a significantly higher number of CNVs in children with ADHD. All the genes were members of the glutamate receptor gene family, with the strongest result in the gene GMR5. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter, a protein that transmits signals between neurons in the brain. "Members of the GMR gene family, along with genes they interact with, affect nerve transmission, the formation of neurons, and interconnections in the brain, so the fact that children with ADHD are more likely to have alterations in these genes reinforces previous evidence that the GRM pathway is important in ADHD," said Hakonarson. "Our findings get to the cause of the ADHD symptoms in a subset of children with the disease."

"ADHD is a highly heterogeneous disorder, and separating out the different subgroups of genetic mutations that these children have is very important," said co-first author Josephine Elia, M.D., a child psychiatrist at Children's Hospital and an ADHD expert. She added that thousands of genes may contribute to the risk of ADHD, but that identifying a gene family responsible for 10 percent of cases is a robust finding in a common neuropsychiatric disorder such as ADHD. Overall, according to the CDC, 5.2 million U.S. children aged 3 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD.

Elia said the fact that their study identified gene variants involved in glutamate signaling is consistent with studies in animal models, pharmacology and brain imaging showing that these pathways are crucial in a subset of ADHD cases. She added, "This research will allow new therapies to be developed that are tailored to treating underlying causes of ADHD. This is another step toward individualizing treatment to a child's genetic profile."

Hakonarson expects this study will set the stage for further discoveries of ADHD-related genes along GMR signaling pathways. Moreover, the current research strongly suggests that selective GRM agonists could be tested in clinical trials as a potential therapy for ADHD in patients harboring particular CNVs. He added that further preclinical studies must first be done to evaluate candidate drugs.

Joseph T. Glessner, a Ph.D. trainee at the Center for Applied Genomics, is also a co-first author of the study along with Elia. Other collaborators were from numerous U.S. and European centers. Funding for the study came from an Institutional Development Award to the Center for Applied Genomics from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Funding also came from the National Institutes of Health, the Cotswold Foundation, a University of Pennsylvania National Center for Research Resources Clinical and Translational Science Awards grant, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and other sources.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, via Newswise.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Josephine Elia, Joseph T Glessner, Kai Wang, Nagahide Takahashi, Corina J Shtir, Dexter Hadley, Patrick M A Sleiman, Haitao Zhang, Cecilia E Kim, Reid Robison, Gholson J Lyon, James H Flory, Jonathan P Bradfield, Marcin Imielinski, Cuiping Hou, Edward C Frackelton, Rosetta M Chiavacci, Takeshi Sakurai, Cara Rabin, Frank A Middleton, Kelly A Thomas, Maria Garris, Frank Mentch, Christine M Freitag, Hans-Christoph Steinhausen, Alexandre A Todorov, Andreas Reif, Aribert Rothenberger, Barbara Franke, Eric O Mick, Herbert Roeyers, Jan Buitelaar, Klaus-Peter Lesch, Tobias Banaschewski, Richard P Ebstein, Fernando Mulas, Robert D Oades, Joseph Sergeant, Edmund Sonuga-Barke, Tobias J Renner, Marcel Romanos, Jasmin Romanos, Andreas Warnke, Susanne Walitza, Jobst Meyer, Haukur P?lmason, Christiane Seitz, Sandra K Loo, Susan L Smalley, Joseph Biederman, Lindsey Kent, Philip Asherson, Richard J L Anney, J William Gaynor, Philip Shaw, Marcella Devoto, Peter S White, Struan F A Grant, Joseph D Buxbaum, Judith L Rapoport, Nigel M Williams, Stanley F Nelson, Stephen V Faraone, Hakon Hakonarson. Genome-wide copy number variation study associates metabotropic glutamate receptor gene networks with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Nature Genetics, 2011; DOI: 10.1038/ng.1013

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111204144650.htm

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Obama fights for Jewish support amid GOP attacks

FILE - In this Dec. 2, 2011 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks at the Interior Department in Washington. Under attack from Republicans portraying him as harsh toward Israel, President Barack Obama is fighting back at public events and in private talks with donors, rabbis and others to shore up his support among Jewish voters, whose backing could be critical in the 2012 election. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 2, 2011 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks at the Interior Department in Washington. Under attack from Republicans portraying him as harsh toward Israel, President Barack Obama is fighting back at public events and in private talks with donors, rabbis and others to shore up his support among Jewish voters, whose backing could be critical in the 2012 election. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama and his Republican opponents are clashing over U.S. policy toward Israel as each side jockeys for support from Jewish voters, who could be critical in the 2012 election.

Aiming to cast Obama as unfairly harsh toward Israel and soft on the Palestinians, Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have called on the president to fire his ambassador to Belgium. The envoy, Howard Gutman, had said that some anti-Semitism stemmed from tensions between Israel and the Palestinians; Romney and Gingrich say his remarks unfairly blamed Israel.

The White House says Obama has a strong record on support for Israel, and quickly fired back with a statement condemning "anti-Semitism in all its forms." The State Department said Gutman would remain in his job.

Republicans also challenged Obama's assertion at a fundraiser last week that "this administration has done more in terms of the security of the state of Israel than any previous administration." Romney said Obama has "repeatedly thrown Israel under the bus" ? an accusation the Republican National Committee repeated Monday.

Firing back, Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz called Romney's comments "outrageous" and questioned his own policies. The White House cited military aid to Israel and support at the United Nations, and pointed to statements from Israeli officials backing up Obama's assertion.

The fiery debate will likely continue Wednesday when the GOP presidential candidates attend a Washington forum hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition.

Obama campaign officials say they will be ready to respond. And the next day, Jewish leaders will be at the White House for briefings on Israel and a Hanukkah party, followed by an Obama speech next week to an expected audience of nearly 6,000 at a conference of the Union for Reform Judaism.

Such attention is all being paid in recognition that Jewish voters, though comprising only 2 percent of the electorate nationwide, are an important part of Obama's base and could make the difference in battleground states including Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada in a close election. Moreover, the Jewish community is an important source of donations, and Obama campaign supporters want to maintain that support as much as Republicans want to chip away at it.

"This campaign takes the Jewish vote very, very seriously," said Ira Forman, the Obama campaign Jewish outreach director. "I'm confident this will be the most comprehensive effort in presidential campaign history."

The White House outreach has increased since May when Obama caused a furor by calling for Israel's 1967 borders, with agreed-upon land swaps, as a basis for resuming negotiations toward a two-state solution with the Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the '67 borders as indefensible and largely disregarded Obama's emphasis on land swaps to account for current conditions.

Republicans seized on the dispute. And while Obama supporters say his argument was widely mischaracterized, damage was done. Now the Obama campaign and its backers say they are determined to respond rapidly to such criticism in future.

"We are trying to responsibly respond to all of these unsubstantiated or false allegations, but there are so many of them, and they are so frequently recited despite the fact that the people who are spreading them have to know that they're false, that it's hard to keep up with them," said Alan Solow, an Obama fundraiser and longtime associate.

The effort involves using surrogates including Vice President Joe Biden, and use of the president's own time in public appearances and private talks with donors and religious leaders, such as a conference call between Obama and rabbis ahead of the Jewish New Year this fall.

The Obama campaign also is going on the offense against Republicans. In conversations about the Jewish vote, Obama backers are quick to bring up comments by Romney, Gingrich and Rick Perry at a debate last month suggesting they would start foreign aid for all countries at zero. Obama supporters say would imperil funding for Israel, even though the candidates also sought to affirm their support for the Jewish state.

Democratic candidates typically enjoy a big electoral advantage among Jewish voters. Obama won 78 percent of the Jewish vote in 2008, compared with 21 percent for Republican John McCain.

But Gallup has found that Obama's approval rating among Jews has fallen from 83 percent in January 2009 to 54 percent in late summer and early fall of this year. Still, that figure is much higher than his overall 41 percent approval rating, and the drop-off in support was about in line with other voter groups.

Sid Dinerstein, chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party in Florida, predicted that Obama would be limited to around 60 percent of the Jewish vote in 2012. Obama backers say that won't happen, but it could mean a potentially decisive difference of tens of thousands of votes in key states.

A candidate's position on Israel may not be the top issue for most Jewish voters, who like others are more motivated by jobs and the economy. But it's important to many, and Republicans see an opening, given the consternation over Obama's 1967 borders speech, his administration's rebukes of Israel for building settlements in disputed areas, and a recent incident in which Obama was overheard appearing to endorse criticism of Netanyahu from French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

"The reality is that the Jewish community understands that on a number of critical issues this administration has undermined not only the U.S.-Israel relationship, but has made Israel more vulnerable," said Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition.

Brooks points to the recent upset in New York's special election to replace Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, in which Republican Bob Turner won in the heavily Jewish district. Brooks says this was a warning sign to Obama on his stance on Israel. Obama supporters say other factors were at play, including the heavily Orthodox and more conservative makeup of the district.

But even strong supporters are disappointed that Obama has not yet traveled to Israel in his capacity as president, after delivering a major speech in Cairo early in his administration. An Israel trip had been rumored to be in the works but seems unlikely to happen prior to the 2012 election.

Democratic Rep. Steve Rothman said he remains hopeful a trip will happen in the next year.

"No president has been perfect on every subject, though history will record that Obama has been the best president for Israel when it comes to military and intelligence support," said Rothman of New Jersey.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-05-US-Obama-Jewish-Voters/id-f0cb9ea562f244f78142cc8db6237881

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